Ecuadorean President Thanks Cuba's Assistance in the Public Health Sector
News from Cuba | Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa thanked Cuba's cooperation with his nation, particularly in the Manuela Espejo Solidarity Mission, a nationwide study carried out by Cuban health professionals in Ecuador for the benefit of the disabled people.
During a meeting with reporters in Quito, Correa noted that bilateral cooperation between Cuba and Ecuador has been practically a one-way process, "and that's a big debt that the Ecuadorean people have with Cuba."
The South American leader pointed out that almost 1,800 Ecuadorean youths, mainly from low-income families, are being trained -free of charge- as health professionals at Havana's Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM).
"Cuba has helped Ecuador a lot," Correa said and added that his government is trying to reciprocate the assistance with actions like, for example, buying medicines from the Caribbean nation.
More than 300 Cuban health professionals worked in Ecuador for more than a year as part of the Manuela Espejo Solidarity Mission. During that period, they visited almost 1.3 million homes in the 24 provinces of the country. As a result, they identified 294,166 people with disabilities, including
26,327 critical cases, according to Prensa Latina news agency.
Another group of 43 Cuban specialists are working in Ecuador as part of the free eye-care Operation Miracle program -they have performed nearly
110,000 surgeries. There are also 53 specialists working in the `Yo si puedo' literacy program, and 46 sports technicians.
