Cuba sends medical personnel to Ecuador following earthquake

I am immensely proud of the Humanitarian Medical Solidarity Cuba has demonstrated to our sister countries in times of their need. 

Last Saturday disaster struck on the mountainous part of northwestern part of Ecuador also affecting the big city of Manta. Poverty, isolation and mountainous terrain has already marginalized the inhabitants of this region and now they have to bear the burden of the wrath of nature.

Within 12 hour of the earthquake a team of Cuban specialist doctors who are trained for Disaster assistance had been assembled and  left Cuba!

It is amazing how wonderful a news this is and I wonder how quickly they organized the departure, to get together these specialist doctors who must be on call in case of such disasters. I remember 1500 doctors including some of my friends from Santiago de Cuba left for Pakistan when they had an earthquake and quickly set up a field hospital. Even in case of the neighbouring Haiti after the devastating earthquake, Cubans were the first on the scene, arriving there a little before the arrival of an Israeli field hospital.  I am so happy to be associated with two such countries with magnanimous hearts to assist the poor and the devastated! Americans arrived much later and were surprised that Israelis were communicating with their coordinating medical centre in Israel and getting help electronically!

I read this article on line in Granma International on 18th April