Nurse Odalys Alfaro still hasn’t recovered from her latest scare when an emergency call from Cayo Paredón in the Jardines del Rey archipelago of Ciego de Ávila province abruptly interrupted the daily routine at the clinic. The team immediately rushed to attend to a drowning case.
«We arrived at the site with our expert team, took responsibility for the patient, resuscitated him at our facility, then transferred him to Morón hospital – ultimately saving his life,» recalled this Intensive Care specialist to the Cuban News Agency. Alfaro is part of the medical services team belonging to the Commercial Marketing Company of Cuban Medical Services (SMC) under the Ministry of Public Health.
Such drowning incidents and other traumas caused by various accidents in hotel facilities, beaches, pools and other tourist areas are among the most common emergencies handled by these professionals who always operate under the principle of commitment to life.
Dr. Julio Quirola, known as «the teacher of teachers,» provided insightful testimony about the centre’s work. Without hesitation, he emphasised that the entire team’s professionalism and sense of responsibility toward every patient – whether Cuban or foreign – visiting their clinics represent the service’s greatest merits.
«We’re prepared to handle everything from occasional minor ailments to complex health situations affecting visitors or staff working in hotels throughout the Jardines del Rey system,» he explained.
The conversation with reporters took place in the medical office at Meliá Costa Rey Hotel in Cayo Coco, where Dr. Rudy Hernández Reyes, a specialist in Comprehensive General Medicine, was treating a Spanish child with respiratory problems while an Argentine guest waited to consult about sudden hypertension.
In an adjacent room, other health personnel were conducting nasal and hand swabs of hotel employees – necessary preventive measures to maintain optimal health standards.
«Both tourists and workers here receive technically validated medical consultation, supported by our highly trained, committed human resources with a strong sense of duty,» stated Dr. Agnerys Cruz Rodríguez, director of the Ciego de Ávila branch of Cuban Medical Services, one of the reference institutions contributing to the province’s selection for hosting July 26 celebrations.
The director detailed their extensive healthcare network: «We operate 24 hotel medical offices (23 in the northern cays and one in Rueda), two dental clinics, a pharmacy, and two international medical care facilities – one at Dr. Antonio Luaces Iraola Provincial General Teaching Hospital and another at Morón’s Roberto Rodríguez Hospital – plus a fully equipped clinic with Intensive Care specialists.»
Cruz Rodríguez emphasised that this National Vanguard collective generates significant financial resources for Cuba’s healthcare system through all its facilities – an act of responsibility, commitment and solidarity that reflects their staff’s values, where continuous professional development to protect life remains paramount.
[Note: The translation maintains the original journalistic style while adapting to British English conventions. All institutional names and Cuban-specific terminology are preserved. Medical terminology is accurately rendered while ensuring readability. The structure follows the original text’s narrative flow and paragraph breaks.]
