Guatemala city, Guatemala.- Ricardo Calderon, director of the Comprehensive Healthcare System in Guatemala, described the work of the Cuban Medical Brigade as admirable, after 21 years of uninterrupted dedication in distant places of this country.

‘As a public official, as an expert in national and international health care, but also as a Guatemalan citizen, we are very grateful and on behalf of the Ministry, we value the presence of each health worker in our country, what you do is admirable,’ he said on Saturday during an analysis of the results of Cuba’s medical collaboration in 2019.

Calderon considered a privilege to be a member of the Cuban Medical Brigade (BMC) in what he defined as ‘a peculiar exercise to report on improving what they are doing, because they do it with transparency,’ he said.

Arnaldo Bringuez Aragon, adviser to the Deputy Minister on Primary Health Care, conveyed a similar message of support for the work done by more than 400 medical collaborators distributed in 16 of 22 departments.

‘The army in white coats that arrived in our country has become endemic,’ he said. ‘They came for an emergency in 1998, after Hurricane Mitch; they came here to stay and now they are endemic, thank you very much for your presence,’ he said.

Guatemala currently has 441 Cuban medical collaborators, including 302 doctors, 98 nurses, 30 technicians and 11 support workers.