New delegation of Cuban doctors arrives to fight COVID-19 - MPPRE

New delegation of Cuban doctors arrives to fight COVID-19

As part of the work done by the Presidential Commission for the Prevention and Control of Coronavirus (COVID-19), a technical delegation of 230 Cuban doctors arrived on Sunday in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to strengthen Misión Barrio Adentro (Venezuela’s healthcare program) and support the strategy to prevent and contain the pandemic in the country within the framework of the Cuba-Venezuela Agreement.

Upon arrival at the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, La Guaira state, the delegation was received by Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs Jorge Arreaza, Minister of People’s Power for Health Carlos Alvarado, Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to Venezuela Dagoberto Rodríguez Barrera and the Chief of Cuba’s Social Programs in Venezuela doctor Julio César García.

“You are going to join the fight against COVID-19 in this first phase. Next week, we will reach 500 collaborators, and in September 1,000 collaborators (…) 1,000 collaborators will join this agreement between Cuba and Venezuela,” said Minister Alvarado.

“Fidel and Chávez created this agreement, this unity which is being strengthened every day. Today we are witnessing the internationalism that characterizes the Cuban Revolution and benefits Venezuela,” Alvarado stated.

Likewise, the Venezuelan health minister thanked the health professionals joining the Barrio Adentro System to save lives and highlighted that “Venezuela has the pleasure and is proud of taking Cuban doctors under its wing to treat them as brothers and sisters.”

In that same vein, Foreign Minister Arreaza recalled the internationalist vocation, the political will in favor of the humble, and the strategic vison of Commanders Fidel Castro Ruz and Hugo Chávez Frías.

“We wonder if in 1996 or in 1999, when Commander Chávez was elected by his people, or in 2000, we would have imagined what we are witnessing today. I can certainly say that we would have imagined it. This is what they built, what they dreamt of. We, the people from Venezuela and Cuba, have done nothing but make the orders and dreams of our commanders come true,” said the Venezuelan foreign minister.

In his speech, Arreaza stressed the importance of the cooperation between the two countries, and thanked the Cuban health professionals for saving millions of lives in the country through Misión Barrio Adentro. “You are heroes to the Venezuelan people,” he added.

Ambassador Rodríguez said he was pleased with the arrival of new Cuban doctors and asserted that they are “paradigms of solidarity and altruism.”

“We feel honored with your arrival. You are the bearers of the principles instilled by our Commander (…) You are ambassadors of Cuba. That’s what we feel. That’s what we see. Thank you for your willingness to join this noble task, which I am sure will further unite our peoples,” said the Cuban ambassador.