CAMAGUEY.- The first ten Camagüeyans that were working in the Republic of Ecuador as part of the health agreement between the governments in that country and Cuba, returned this Tuesday to the province, after their arrival to the Island through the airports in Santiago de Cuba and Havana.

The return of the almost 400 Cuban health workers is due to the decision made by the South American government of rejecting the health assistance from this country, announced about a week ago, with the inconsistent explanation that the seats taken by Cuban should be replaced by Ecuadorian professionals.

The provincial health director in the territory, Dr. Reinaldo Pons, welcomed the ten professionals in a simple ceremony in the hall Jimaguayú of the landmark complex Plaza de la Revolución Mayor General Ignacio Agramonte Loynaz, in the capital city.

Almost three years ago, in this place the ashes of the eternal Commander of the Cuban Revolution rested in its tour around Cuba before arriving to the cemetery Santa Ifigenia, in Santiago. Reason why, here and now, back in Camagüey, the new comers and their families paid tribute with flowers to Fidel Castro.

“You behaved as it was proper, as humanitarian, revolutionary, communist doctors, that you are”, claimed Dr. Pons. “New tasks, as important or more, will be relied on you now, next to your people”, added.

The agreements between Ecuador and Cuba, overturned now on behalf of Ecuador, are dated from 2013, during the visit paid to Cuba by the former president Rafael Correa.

Still shocked by the return, Dr. Julio César Rodríguez Betancourt, physiatrist doctor in the provincial hospital Amalia Simoni, tells: “After the announcement made by the minister (of Government María Paula Romo), expressions against us started to appear in social media, promoted by the Ecuadorian right, questioning our training and intentions: but it was all lies”.

“The people has felt our departure, no Ecuadorian professional is going to go to any of the places that we were. In the case of my specialty, there is not even physiatrists. And the Cuban Imaging professionals were also in places where no one wants to go”, affirms the doctor, that worked for ten months in the health center in Nabón, in Azuay province.

At 50 years old, Dr. Julio César confesses: “Although I was in Zimbabwe for two years and three in Venezuela, this mission was new to me since I had to work in indigenous communities, so it was necessary to adapt to the culture. But the experience was very interesting”

On the other hand, this is the first international mission for Lic. Yudeisy Martínez Villavicencio, 39 years old: “In spite that it ended before foreseen, we come back satisfied by our work. I worked in a hospital in the city of Guayaquil: it was a wonderful and unforgettable experience”.

“Those affected the most will be the people of Ecuador, from now on they are going to feel the absence of Cuban doctors: the people is unsatisfied, at least that was what the Ecuadorian that benefited from our work told us”, comments Yudeisy.

The Imaging professional, that used to work in Las Tunas province before leaving, is now returning to Camagüey to be with her family. She remembers, with a mixture of emotions, the farewell to Ecuador: “even the director of the center cried with us, he could not believe that we had to go, because he felt satisfied with the work of the Cubans there”.

Another Imaging professional, Lic. Juan Antonio Montesino Machado, 38 years old, tell from his experience: “At the time of our departure, the people that we had treated showed us their gratitude and told us they needed us there. Our Ecuadorian colleagues even threw us a small goodbye party, acknowledging also the professional experience that we could share with them”.

“This professional has been graduated for 15 years, integrated to the staff of the provincial hospital Manuel Ascunce, who also had an international mission in Venezuela between 2010 and 2013. In Ecuador, “I was in a rural community in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas province and then I was transferred to a hospital in Manabí province, that had started to be built during the revolutionary government of Rafael Correa. There we treated mostly people with needs.”

In spite of the decision made by this South American government, “we left with dignity and our heads held high, because we did what we could, always working hard and professionalism”. And restated: “I am always going to come when my country calls, wherever I am needed”.

It is expected that this week another ten health workers arrive, adding to two that were on vacations in Camagüey when the Ecuadorian mister of Government announced, about a week ago, the termination of the agreements with the Cuban Medical Mission.

Dr. Reinaldo Pons, provincial health director, informed to Adelante Digital that in short 11 health workers from this territory will also arrive from Bolivia. “They are supposed to arrive this very week, which will complete the return of about 55 Camagüeyan collaborators” that were in that land when the right-winged coup took place against president Evo Morales.