CUBA, February 11, 2010. AMID slogans and heartfelt emotions, the "victory flag," as José Ramón Balaguer Cabrera described it, was presented to the Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade, composed of graduates from the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM). Some members of the brigade are already in Haiti and others will leave shortly for that sister nation. "The people in Haiti need help, joy, to feel dignified," affirmed Pablo Salgado, who was working in the Chilean public heath system before he returned to Cuba to join the brigade. Other internationalists like Abdoul Kader Sylla (Mali), demonstrated their readiness to face any circumstance. During the farewell ceremony, José Ramón Balaguer insisted on the need for a healthcare system in Haiti that can respond to the needs of the population and save lives. "Everything that we do is directed at consolidating that system." The event was also presided over by José Miyar Barrueco, minister of science, technology and the environment, and ELAM Rector Juan Carrizo Estévez. Also present at the event were family members of the five heroes and ELAM students. |