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11/03/09 - Juventud Rebelde (Habana) - More Cuban Doctors Head for Bolivia

Members of a Cuban medical brigade under the "Moto Méndez Solidarity
Mission" will carry out psychogenetic and social work with disabled patients
in Bolivia

By: Luis Hernández Serrano

Email: serrano@juventudrebelde.cu

Members of a medical brigade leaving for Bolivia on Monday received
greetings from Cuban leader Fidel Castro as they got ready to depart.
Fidel's regards to the Cuban experts were conveyed by Health Minister José
Ramón Balaguer.

The Cuban contingent will carry out psychogenetic and social work with
disabled patients in the South American nation, under the "Moto Méndez
Solidarity Mission."

Minister Balaguer chatted with the 73 member brigade and presented them with
the flag that will accompany them during their work in Bolivia.

Deputy Health Minister Marcia Cobas Ruiz announced that a group of Cuban
genetics experts, defectologists, clinic geneticists and other specialties
who were working in Venezuela will join the brigade, together with some
Venezuelan doctors. The aim is to set up one hundred four-member teams to
cover the different Bolivian zones.

Minister Balaguer had earlier met a representation of the first Cuban
doctors who after graduating in 1964 renounced the private medical practice.
"Everything that Fidel Castro then foresaw has now been fulfilled," said
Balaguer, noting that the Cuban leader had spoken of one day having a doctor
per every 500 inhabitants. "That figure has been exceeded, and Cuba has at
present one doctor per every 151 inhabitants," stressed Balaguer.