As part of an agreement with the Mexican government, in the Sierra del Nayar, one of the most intricate areas of Nayarit, doctors from Cuba guarantee health care in villages where a specialist has never before arrived.

It is a place of difficult access, of native communities, where the professionals from the island have achieved a very high level of prominence, they have saved the lives of many newborns, the follow-up of pregnant women is at a high level and surgery rates have risen, explained Dr. Barbiel Nápoles.

The coordinator of the Caribbean country’s medical brigade in that state, located on the Pacific coast, told Prensa Latina that this group was the first from Cuba to arrive in the North American nation and did so on 22 July 2022 with specialists in Internal Medicine, Surgery, Paediatrics and Gynaecobstetrics.

From 60 professionals at the beginning, they now total 164, including cardiologists, ENT specialists, neurologists and coloproctologists.

«The relationships are wonderful. We have been welcomed with great love and affection by the people here in Nayarit. The goal is to continue the mission by bringing health to the most intricate area,» Napoles said, assuring that they will be there if and when their presence is needed.

He considered it a challenge to lead the brigade, but at the same time said that all of its members are trained specialists and have inserted themselves very well in this nation’s medicine.

«We have passed on our experiences, our experiences in other countries, and we have learned a lot about medicine here,» commented the head of the brigade from the largest of the Antilles in Nayarit, who emphasised the brotherhood with local citizens and colleagues.

We always think of «ideals, of our people, that we can never let down the country that saw us born and forged us as doctors and that has instilled in us that spirit of humanity, of solidarity that we will never let down,» he stressed.

During the conversation, Nápoles highlighted the links between the two countries and alluded to several milestones, such as the presence here of Cuba’s National Hero, José Martí, and the expedition of the Granma yacht, which set sail in 1956 from Tuxpan guided by the historic leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro.

«In today’s most difficult moments, Mexico has always been there to support us as the brothers that we are. And what could be better than for us to bring health to the people in gratitude for all the support they have given us,» he emphasised.

In his opinion, there are plenty of anecdotes that can be told by all the specialists about his time in the peripheral zones.

But the greatest story,» he said, «is to tell them that we have tried to bring health to this people with love, affection and a high scientific level, with all our heart. Many lives have been saved by Cuban doctors.

As part of bilateral cooperation, there are currently more than 3,000 specialists from the island in Mexico, who contribute to health care in places that are sometimes remote, but also support the development of colleagues in this country.