Second Batch of Cuban Doctors Arrives in Belize

The Cuban government has been deploying teams of doctors and nurses to fight the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe. With considerable experience in combating deadly diseases, the Cuban health personnel are in demand, even in wealthy countries.  This afternoon, a second brigade of health personnel arrived at the Philip Goldson International Airport and will join thirty-two others who arrived in Belize on March twenty-fifth. The medical brigade will now go into fourteen days of quarantine, as mandated by the Ministry of Health. They will, along with the Belizean frontline healthcare workers, provide much needed support to persons who get infected with COVID-19. Welcoming the contingent today was Cuban Ambassador to Belize, Lisette Perez, who says that the support from the Cuban government is part of her country’s tradition in the region and across the world.

Lisette Perez

Lisette Perez, Cuban Ambassador to Belize

“Today arrived to Belize, the second group of Cuban medical personnel, part of the contingent, who is travelling to different countries of the region to help with the matter of facing the COVID-19. This is a tradition of cooperation of Cuba with the region, but have a lot of precedent regarding facing other pandemic in the global arena like for example ebola in Africa or earthquakes in Asia or for example cholera in Haiti and other countries. It is part of president’s history in terms of cooperation and we are very proud of that—that Cuba is always with the third world countries, with our neighbours to help in terms of health sector, in terms of education. But today, we are receiving this contingent to face a pandemic, a challenge that is facing all of our countries and we have to be well-prepared. That’s why this contingent of almost sixty persons is here in Belize as a request of the Government of Belize to help and work together with the Belizean health personnel to face the pandemic or the challenge that the pandemic could give us.”