The group made up of 35 health specialists from the internationalist Henry Reeve contingent treated 4,627 patients, saved 52 lives and carried out 23,997 nursing procedures.

These professionals, of whom 14 are women and 21 are men, have more than 10 years of work experience, and represent 13 provinces of the country, the Ministry of Public Health reported.

According to this source, 65.7 percent of those collaborators completed an internationalist mission, mainly in Venezuela, and five of them in Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Guinea Conakry, Pakistan and Haiti.

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, 52 Henry Reeve brigades have collaborated with government efforts in 39 countries to contain contagions and save lives, and 43 of them are currently active in 33 nations.

A total of 2,523 Cuban collaborators, 1,435 of whom treat positive cases for Covid-19, have assisted 615,165 patients, and saved 13,590 lives in nations that have required their presence.

Numerous organizations and personalities from around the world promote the nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize of this Henry Reeve International Medical Contingent Specialized in Disaster Situations and Serious Epidemics.

(With information from PL)

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel tweeted: “Our congratulations, to the prime minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica. Roosevelt Skerrit, for his victory in the elections. We will continue to work to strengthen our relations of friendship and cooperation with this sister Caribbean nation.”

Likewise, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla posted: “Fraternal congratulations, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit, on your electoral victory. The government and people of this sister Caribbean nation have the support and solidarity of Cuba.”

Skerrit called on opposition leaders to reflect on their actions prior to the elections, which included violence and street barricades.

(Granma)

“It looked like a tornado,” Debora Bowerstold Granma. Aged 70, she clearly remembers when Hurricane David struck the island four decades ago. “This was twice as bad,” she stressed.

Bowers lost the roof of her home, and now lives in a truck with her family. She explains that the force of the wind managed to lift the truck a few inches off the ground, and it was her 21 year old son who prevented it from flying away with the rest of their belongings.

Like her, thousands of people wade through the accumulated debris to move from one side to another of the country’s capital, Roseau. With most homes still without electricity and potable water, getting around is crucial to meeting their basic needs.

Some have decided to go further and leave the country altogether. Every day they leave the port in ferries to neighboring islands, where they aspire to rebuild their lives. Those who have more resources, or families abroad, have temporarily left during this most difficult stage.

Stephanie Morris walks along with her five year old son. “If I see a future for him in this country? I don’t know, our life was destroyed in a minute,” she states.

A few meters ahead, she watches him for a few seconds and seems more confident: “Someone has to rebuild Dominica. There is hope and we have to hold on to that.”

Roseau and its 14,000 inhabitants are just beginning to shake off the effects of Maria. Roofs are stacked in the middle of the street waiting to be picked up by the few trucks that are working. Dozens of cars remain covered with mud, while objects ranging from televisions to keyboards can be found scattered and unusable thanks to the flooding.

The most intense activity is observed in the center of the city, near the coast. The force of the sea carried tons of black sand inshore, leaving buildings completely buried. Enormous bulldozers clear the roads and life begins to return to this area where government activity, restaurants and businesses are concentrated.

The huge amounts of solid waste, alongside the stagnant water, are the new threats.

“There are vectors in Dominica that could trigger outbreaks of infectious diseases,” explained Michael Cabrera, head of the 22-member Cuban Medical Brigade to the island, which was reinforced with ten specialists from the Henry Reeve Contingent.

“Acute diarrheal diseases are also a risk,” he added.

Three epidemiologists also traveled from Cuba, and are working in Portmouth, Marigot and Castle Bruce, some of the most important inland communities of Dominica. They assess the risks of outbreaks, and help raise public awareness of the measures to be taken to prevent them.

Juan Miguel González, an intensive care specialist from Holguín, has been working for four months in the island’s only hospital, the Princess Margaret.

The intensive care ward was left in such poor conditions after Maria that they were forced to manually ventilate the most severe cases for 48 hours.

The power has now been restored, and the most complicated emergencies are being sent to neighboring countries, which have agreed to receive them. The health infrastructure in general suffered serious damages.

Most cases, according to Cuban specialists, have little to do with the hurricane, and mainly relate to chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

Both González and his compañero Rafael Villavicencio, also an intensivist, from Artemisa, are convinced that hospital services would have collapsed without international support.

Emergency teams from various countries, including neighboring islands, arrived in the days following the tragedy, but have already begun to leave the country.

“This always happens,” states Dr. Villavicencio, “But we Cubans stay put until the very end.”

(Granma)