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In Haiti
Cuba is not arriving, Cuba was
already here
Préval affirms during a meeting with
Esteban Lazo
Leticia Martínez
Hernández Photo: Juvenal Balán
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti.— Commander in Chief Fidel
Castro Ruz sent a message of gratitude and fraternal
greetings to members of the Henry Reeve
International Medical Brigade, graduates of the
Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) and fifth
and sixth year students there, via Esteban Lazo,
member of the Political Bureau, and Foreign Minister
Bruno Rodríguez, who are heading a Cuban delegation
that arrived in Haiti yesterday.
 Marcia
Cobas, deputy minister of public health, read the
message from the leader of the Revolution to the
Cuban collaborators, who received it with particular
emotion at their posts where they are working
tirelessly.
Esteban Lazo, likewise vice president of the Council
of State, was witness to their selfless work when he
toured the Croix des Bouquets field hospital, La
Paix and La Renaissance Hospitals, and the
Mirebalais Comprehensive Diagnosis Center.
Earlier, the Cuban leader was received by Haitian
President René Préval. Lazo told Granma
that Préval greeted him with great joy, above all
because Cuba is not a new visitor to that country;
that Cuba was not arriving, but was already in
Haiti. Lazo said that Préval asked after Fidel and
Raúl and acknowledged recognized the tremendous work
being undertaken by the Cuban doctors, who have also
organized students and Haitian doctors.
Lazo
informed Préval that close to 1,200 doctors are
currently working as part of the Cuban medical
brigade in Haiti. They have attended to more than
70,000 patients since the earthquake. Lazo noted the
importance of averting epidemics and about the
medical teams’ vaccination and fumigation efforts.
He also told Préval that a group of U.S. graduates
from ELAM have joined the Cuban brigade.
Esteban Lazo spoke with the Haitian president about
the proposal to strengthen the Haitian healthcare
system, an agreement made during a recent meeting of
ALBA member countries. “We explained to him that the
idea is to contribute to building a healthcare
system with solid primary, secondary, and tertiary
care, which will guarantee the nation’s health
through ALBA’s efforts. Since Cuba already has a
large number of experienced compańeros here,
it could direct this work.”
To
that end, and while hospital institutions are being
built or reconstructed, field hospitals are to be
set up in the vicinity of those facilities. Lazo
explained that a contingent of young ELAM graduates
is being put together to attend to patients. They
are already arriving from Havana after responding to
a call by Cuba. “We want to bring together
approximately 2,000 doctors within a short period of
time.”
Lazo
said that during a meeting with Préval, they also
discussed issues such as cooperation on the
construction of Cap-Haďtien Airport, in the sugar,
fishing and communications sector, and on the
literacy campaign. The Cuban leader said that Préval
acknowledged how Cuba has always looked forward to
the future.
Translated by Granma International
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