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In Cuba, Some 1,500 Doctors Who Worked in Brazil

Havana, Nov 28 .-With the arrival on Monday of 204 Cuban doctors from Brazil, about 1,500 medical collaborators have returned home in recent days after participating in the More Doctors Program, an initiative that was affected by President-elect Jair Bolsonaro’s hostility.

We return with the pride of the fulfilled duty, new experiences, more preparation as professionals and more convinced than ever of what an internationalist doctor means, said Dr. Lázaro Díazon behalf of the group.

The collaborator stressed that they return with their heads held high, willing to serve the country wherever necessary and faithful to the legacy of the historic leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, who promoted the democratization of health in the world.

According to Díaz, they left behind many signs of affection by Brazilian patients, the most affected ones by Bolsonaro’s conditions and threats, which forced the Ministry of Public Health of Cuba (MINSAP) to make the decision to withdraw from More Doctors, a program that was activated in 2013 to assist poor people.

Authorities from different sectors, headed by the member of Political Bureau of the Communist Party Lazara Mercedes Lopez Acea, welcomed the medical personnel at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport.

Deputy Health Minister Regla Angulo highlighted the doctors’ commitment, demonstrated in their presence for five years in Brazil, where they treated about 113 million people who live in remote places and those most affected by poverty.

You represent the spirit of solidarity and internationalist consciousness, and are the bearers of the principle defended by Fidel Castro that a better world is possible, she said.

In the next few days and weeks, the arrivals of Cuban collaborators from Brazil will continue. There, about 8,300 were rendering their services when the decision to withdraw from the program was made on November 14. (Prensa Latina)