Specialists from Cuba’s medical brigade are helping to guarantee coverage of essential health services in hospitals and other facilities in Mexico today, without displacing Cuban professionals.

The presence of more than three thousand Cuban doctors in Mexico is part of a governmental and international cooperation agreement; their positions, salaries and social security in Cuba are guaranteed, while their living, working and maintenance conditions in Mexico are protected.

One of these specialists, ophthalmologist Magdevis Ruiz, arrived in July last year and began working in the central state of Hidalgo, specifically in the General Hospital of Tulancingo Bravo, some 112 kilometres from Mexico City.

«For about seven years there had been no such speciality in the hospital, and patients had to travel to the state capital for treatment, with very long appointments, or else they had to go for private consultations, and not everyone had the financial resources,» she says.

In an interview with Prensa Latina, the doctor explains that for this reason there were many complications associated with the lack of care, especially diabetic patients with advanced stages of diabetic retinopathy.

With his presence in the health institution, he began to treat children, pregnant women and adults in general, as well as those who arrived at the emergency department for purely ophthalmological conditions or any other speciality that required it.

For her part, Cuban paediatrician Marité Llerena arrived on 9 September 2022 in the southern state of Campeche, located more than a thousand kilometres from Mexico City, and there she began courses to learn about the protocols and other particularities.

Afterwards, we were placed in different municipalities in the state, «the most lacking in terms of specialised care,» says the doctor, who has since been working at the Pedro Lara y Lara Community Hospital in Hopelchén.

«It has always been the opinion of the hospital’s governing body that specialised medical care has recovered to almost 100 percent since we started working, and they are very grateful for that,» Llerena adds, noting that a large number of lives have been saved.

The doctor also refers to the integration with the Mexican staff and the achievement of teamwork and very satisfactory results, which is also perceived by patients and their families, who express their gratitude for the quality and warmth of the care provided.

The President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, has on several occasions highlighted the work of Cuban doctors in this nation.

«Now that I have been touring the country, going to some health centres, I have seen the participation, how they are working and the gratitude of the people for their participation in order to cover some speciality,» said the president at a recent press conference.