Order of the Star of Italy awarded to Cuban doctor

HAVANA, Cuba, May 31 (ACN) Dr. Julio Guerra Izquierdo received on Tuesday the Order of the Star of Italy of the Knight Class—a distinction conferred by the Italian president Sergio Mattarella—for his work as head of the medical brigade of the Henry Reeve Contingent deployed in the city of Turin to fight COVID-19.

“This distinction reflects the gratitude of an entire country for the solidarity work of the Cuban doctors and medical staff,” said Roberto Vellano, Italian ambassador to Cuba. “They arrived in Italy in the early stages of the pandemic, as our country was among the first in Europe to take drastic measures on account of the disease’s considerable death toll.”

Italian consul Guglielmo Pirrone, who described the official reasons for the recognition, said that Dr. Guerra Izquierdo played a major role as coordinator of the Cuban medical workers in Turin right when the pandemic was at its worst.

On his end, the Cuban doctor thanked Italy on behalf of the Henry Reeve brigade and stress that his colleagues, his country, Cuba’s aid workers and the Cuban people are all equally deserving of the Order.

The Henry Reeve International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Situations of Disasters and Serious Epidemics was established by Commander in Chief Fidel Castro in 2005 to assist the U.S. people in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. So far, Cuban doctors have helped more than 50 countries, 42 of them during the pandemic.

An outstanding Cuban nephrologist, Julio Guerra Izquierdo is the head of the Hospital Service Division of the Ministry of Public Health. He has been a member of internationalist missions in Guatemala, Venezuela and Djibouti.
The Order of the Star is an honor of the Italian State granted to those who have acquired special merit in the promotion of friendly relations with Italy.