My conversation with Dr. Enmanuel Vigil Fonseca was a pleasant one. His commitment to helping create a better world place him on the front line of important battles and show that young Cubans also have the chance to help build the Revolution.
In this regard he notes, “I chose to become a doctor to help people. My parents had other jobs and ever since I was a young boy I have felt admiration for these people in white coats, who lovingly care for the sick.”
How did you become a member of the Henry Reeve International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Disaster Situations and Serious Epidemics?
I studied at General Calixto García University Hospital’s medical school in Havana. We learned of the disaster situation in Central America following a hurricane. In 2005 we were also present during the creation of the Henry Reeve contingent to help victims of Hurricane Katrina in the southern United States and the impressive speech given by Comandante Fidel Castro at that time. A group of students immediately went to see the deacon and asked if we could join those doctors, but he decided that we should not interrupt our studies. After graduating in 2009, I was chosen to go to Venezuela as a member of the Barrio Adentro (Into the neighborhood) Health Mission.
In 2010 I left for the municipality of Sucre, in the Venezuelan state of Miranda. Firstly in the neighborhood of Villa Tatiana.
I offered primary care services to the population in a massive program aimed at providing medical coverage to Venezuela’s most vulnerable communities. At the same time I was studying to become a Comprehensive Family Medicine specialist with Cuban professors working in Comprehensive Diagnostic Centers.
I treated lots of children and even delivered babies. Women in full-term pregnancy should go to their genealogical clinics, but on more than one occasion they would come to me in the early hours of the morning with contractions and I couldn’t wait. I also assumed epidemiological control of various camps for people who had lost their homes as a result of intense rains.
You returned to Cuba in 2014 and traveled to West Africa to combat the Ebola virus, why?
I finished in Venezuela, May 12. We learned about how this dangerous illness was developing in that part of Africa from the news. We saw the meeting the Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Margaret Chan, held with Cuban Health Minister Roberto Morales Ojeda, and we Cubans learned of our country’s decision to help those infected with Ebola.
At that time I was working in one of the Nguyen Van Troi polyclinic’s community offices in Central Havana. The managers of the institution met with a group of doctors and asked for volunteers to go to Africa. I signed up right then and there.
Later, we received around the clock training at the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine. Over 500 of our health professionals came together there. We received classes from WHO specialists, who explained the protocols in dealing with the illness with an emphasis on protection.
European doctors gave conferences with audiovisuals and provided us with up-to-date bibliographies and the results of recent studies.
During the course we underwent rigorous medical checks, received all necessary vaccinations and prophylactic measures. Those with chronic conditions or any other type of illness weren’t selected. At the end of the training, they gave us exams to test our knowledge and only those who passed were included on the list.
After I found out that I had been chosen I felt two things: first the excitement of being chosen on the basis of my physical condition and ability to fulfill the risky mission at 31 years of age. This made me feel proud; it would be my contribution to humanity. The second emotion was sadness.
Chatting with the group while waiting for the plane, someone said very seriously, “We are going to fight a war and we might not return.” At that moment I thought of the faces of my family; of the kiss, the apology, the hug I never gave. Only my conviction to keep going got me to Sierra Leone.
Where were you stationed?
In the first days we received training by medical personnel from other countries based there and members of the WHO brigade. We toured the hospitalization clinics which were separated from conventional institutions. We received magnificent care from these professionals, who provided us with all the knowledge they had amassed thus far.
I was surprised that the people of Sierra Leone knew about Cuba. They’d point to a Cuban and say two names: Fidel Castro and Ernesto Che Guevara.
I worked in Port Loko, a few kilometers from the capital, Freetown.
The children infected with Ebola affected me greatly. I saw new born babies and other infants with sad faces.
We rigorously complied with safety measures. We needed to protect ourselves in order to care for others. This was the number one safety measure we had to fulfill.
I fell ill with appendicitis and underwent surgery. I never talked about going home. That’s why I returned to my medical activities, once I recovered.
Fatalities were increasing and we began to study all the medical processes. We held group discussions to decide on new courses of action to treat the pathology. After saving many people, more patients wanted to be treated by Cuban doctors.
We didn’t have enough hospital beds, but we never turned away a single sick person. We had to improvise with full wards, but we treated everyone that came to us for help.
How did you feel when you found out a colleague had contracted Ebola?
Félix Báez Sarría got sick a few days after arriving. After finding out we increased personal vigilance measures, chiefly by not touching each other under any circumstance, washing our hands and mouths as much as possible, bleaching our uniforms, drinking bottled water, and eating well-cooked food.
Félix recovered and returned to Sierra Leone, and when I saw him again it was like a boost of energy for the entire brigade. I was responsible for receiving him and today he is one of my greatest friends, I think he’s an amazing person, with incredible sensitivity. He recently became a father again to a little girl named María Fernanda.
What about nurse Reynaldo Villafranca Antigua, who died on January 17, 2015, of malaria?
When we found out that Félix had recovered, we also learned the sad news of the death of Coqui – as we used to call Villafranca Antigua – a nurse from Pinar del Río, known for his jovial spirit and sense of humor. His death impacted us all and the brigade felt deeply grieved.
Your return to Cuba…
Before returning to the island we had to spend 12 days in isolation, we were subjected to clinical tests to determine whether we were carrying some undetected disease. The nine hours on the way home were the most amazing. We were overcome with joy. We landed at Varadero’s Juan Gualberto Gómez International Airport, located in the western Cuban province of Matanzas, and were taken to a medical facility for 21 days. There we were visited by Health Minister Roberto Morales Ojeda, deputy sector minister Marcia Cobas, and many other officials from the country. We received wonderful care.
No one slept the night before returning to our homes, we all wanted time to go by quickly. We were all desperate to embrace our families. At 5am we set off for Havana’s Fragua Martiana museum to attend a welcome ceremony by authorities of the capital.
During the event, I caught sight of my wife, daughter and my parents (with tears in their eyes). I can’t describe to you how it felt.
Why did you go to the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic?
I received a call from the offices of the Central Unit for Medical Cooperation and they explained to me the weather situation affecting the place with intense rains and flooding. This time I was appointed head of the group of eight health professionals. We would be supporting the work of the Cuban medical brigade already based there.
We conducted surveys in the communities and refugee camps; we even gave classes to young graduates from Cuban medical universities. They acted as our translators.
One of my fondest memories is of a visit to an elementary school called Simón Bolívar, where Cubans and Venezuelans worked. I also met many people who had studied in schools in Cuba’s Isle of Youth Special Municipality and others with children or relations who had graduated from Cuban institutions.
The Sahrawimaintain a tireless spirit of struggle for national sovereignty and consider Cuba to be the closest reference for achieving victory.
Talk to us about Ecuador…
They called me on a Sunday. I remember it was raining hard, my daughter was sleeping, my wife was on-call at the hospital, and I was working at the computer. I had learned about the earthquake the previous day through multinational broadcaster Telesur. I called my wife and we decided to meet at the Central Unit for Medical Collaboration. I left my daughter with a beloved and trusted neighbor.
I arrived at the place, but the group had already left for Havana’s José Martí International Airport, and I was sent there straight away. I wasn’t able to say goodbye to my wife and I left feeling sad. We departed immediately and arrived early in the morning to the Eloy Alfaro International Airport in the Ecuadoran city of Manta. At dawn we set off for Puerto Viejo, a town in the province of Pedernales.
What I saw was a destroyed town. A search and rescue team traveled with us and our first task was to find survivors in collapsed buildings.
We received a visit from President Rafael Correa and other Ecuadorian health officials. This filled us with energy to focus even harder on our work. From there we traveled to Jama and worked in communities almost completely wiped out by the strong earthquake.
I was assigned to a clinic located in a very remote zone called Cheve Arriba – a two and a half hour drive away on a badly paved road – which offered services to other communities in the area. I worked in Dr. Eric Omar Pérez’s clinic, one of the three Cuban physicians who died in the earthquake. There was no electricity, means of communication, or basic water and sewage services.
I had to visit remote houses located two hours away by horse, and crossing rivers. I took with me my back-pack full of medicines, a bottle of water and something to eat. I walked for many hours every day.
Tell us an anecdote…
In the town I had to wash in the river, cook over an open fire, get used to the mosquitoes, see snakes and other types of animals as part of the natural landscape.
I remember a mother with a seriously malnourished baby in her arms came to see me. She looked like a very humble lady, with those sorrowful eyes which tell of a hard life. The child didn’t even have a name; he was born with the help of a midwife and wasn’t listed in any civil registry. I began to treat him and he survived. The mother named him after me.
I repeatedly explained that my work was voluntary and asked that the greatest thanks go to the government of Rafael Correa, which allowed us to work there and to save lives.
Today, Emmanuel Vigil Fonseca is working in Haiti, helping to treat the victims of the devastating Hurricane Matthew. This interview ends with a reflection on his professional experiences.
“These medical missions have enriched me as a human being. I help people with what I was taught by other professionals. I’ve always done it to help others.”
(Granma)