South African Health Minister recognizes help of Cuban doctors

HAVANA, Cuba, Sep 9 (ACN) Under the title "The Cuban Medical Brigade continues to play a key role in the battle against Covid-19", authored by South African Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize, the digital publication News 24, from that nation, defends with substantial arguments the benefits from the help of the Cuban specialists in various essential medical branches.

The text says that four months ago, 187 highly qualified physicians arrived in Pretoria, leaving much loved relatives in the Caribbean island, to fight against an unknown enemy: Covid-19.
This contingent arrived at a time when the African nation had less than 5,000 cases with about 90 deaths as a result of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the note adds.
“They were there when we implemented massive community tests to stop the virus before it overwhelmed our healthcare system. They were there when the cases spiked to hundreds of thousands and it seemed like we would be left without personnel and beds. And they are now, when we return to normality, while avoiding a second wave of cases, "the text notes.
It also highlights that currently, Cuban professionals are deployed in the nine provinces. They are now fully integrated into clinical teams; many of them in the red zones (high risk), quarantine and isolation centers, and working alongside local professionals to strengthen each territory's response to COVID-19.
The document adds that, due to their solid training in primary health care, they have been fundamental in the supervision of prevention activities in the localities.
According to CubaMinrex website, the Cuban medical collaborators have treated more than 30,000 patients, mainly in four provinces: Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Western Cape.
At the same time, Zweli also praised the work of biomedical engineers who have recovered 3,174 units of health technologies.
Another very important work has been that of epidemiologists, who have processed information on the pandemic in all districts of the country for government decision-making, says the head of the sector in that nation, who concludes his journalistic material stating that "The Cuban Medical Brigade has played an invaluable and immeasurable role."