The last contingent of professionals from the Cuban Medical Brigade that served in Honduras arrived in Cuba this Thursday, after the Honduran government decided not to continue the health agreement between the two countries, following pressure from the United States government.
More than 30 million consultations and nearly 900,000 surgical procedures have been performed by Cuban doctors in Honduras since 2024, the Cuban Ministry of Public Health highlighted.
The 172 professionals arrived at José Martí International Airport in Havana and were received by health sector authorities, who recognized their noble work in assisting children and the elderly. “The light of their example will continue to shine in every patient they assisted,” said Mayelín Hernández Zadas, head of the International Collaboration Department of the Central Unit for Medical Collaboration.
Earlier, the Cuban ambassador to Honduras, Juan Roberto Loforte, acknowledged the Cuban medical collaboration, stating, “They did an extraordinary job; there were never any cases of indiscipline, non-compliance, or malpractice. I would describe it as a perfect job.”
The ambassador detailed that the healthcare workers served in 17 of Honduras’ 18 departments, all within the public healthcare system.
For its part, the Cuban embassy in Tegucigalpa highlighted the professionalism of the Cuban specialists in their healthcare work, stating, “Their work has resulted in more than half a million consultations and more than 10,000 surgeries, figures that reflect the commitment and solidarity of Cuban medicine.”
Ambassador Loforte described the Honduran government’s decision to terminate the cooperation agreement as a sovereign one. This agreement had been signed during the previous administration of President Xiomara Castro. Despite this, he expressed Cuba’s willingness to continue providing support should it be required in the future.
It is worth noting that Cuban medical collaboration in Honduras dates back to 1974, when Hurricane Fifi struck the nation. This last contingent was part of the cooperation agreement signed in February 2024 between the State Secretariat and the Ministry of Public Health of Cuba.
IMAGE CREDIT: 172 Cuban health professionals arrived at José Martí International Airport in Havana after the termination of the agreement between the two nations. Photo: ACN
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS and teleSUR ]
