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Herald Reporter
At least 55 medical doctors from Cuba have started arriving in the country as part of co-operation in the medical field between the two countries.

They will be located in different Government hospitals for a period of two years, according to the necessity of the ministry of Health and Child Care, said Cuban Medical Co-operation in Zimbabwe national co-ordinator, Dr Rolando Sánchez Martínez, in a statement.

In the group will be doctors of different specialities. They will also work close to a group of Cuban nurses and pharmacists for a period of two years taking care of the health of the Zimbabwean population.

The new arrivals, known as Cuban Medical Brigade, will add to more than 820 Cuban doctors, nurses and pharmacists already serving in Zimbabwe in almost 30 years of co-operation in the health field between the two countries.

Senior Minister of State in the President’s Office, Cde Simon Khaya Moyo, who was recently in Cuba, said some of the doctors would start training medical doctors at Bindura University of Science Education.

Zimbabwe used to send students to Cuba to study in various fields in the education sector, with the programme transforming into the Bindura University of Science Education where the students are now being trained locally.

Meanwhile, Dr Martínez has issued a statement saying that the Cuban Medical Brigade in Zimbabwe has started preparations on the prevention and management on Ebola.

Dr Martínez’s reads: “At the request for help by Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations and Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organisation, to the Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, President of the Councils of State and Ministers, the Government of Cuba decided to participate in this global effort under the co-ordination of the World Health Organisation to combat Ebola epidemic in West Africa.

“Cuba’s response was aimed at:

Maintaining the 32 Cuban medical brigades in Africa, with 4,048 collaborators, out of which 2,269 are doctors

Sending 256 health professionals of the “Henry Reeve” International Contingent of Doctors Specialised in Disasters and Serious Epidemics to countries affected by Ebola, of which 165 are already in Sierra Leone, 53 in Liberia and other 38 in Guinea Conakry.

To develop a training programme in African countries not affected by the epidemic, where there is the presence of Cuban medical brigades, on issues such as prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. To this end, facilitators were identified within our collaborators, who, by means of the educational materials sent from Cuba, are going to be responsible for training other health partners, other sectors and Cuban residents in these countries and this may also be extended to national professional, if requested by governments.

“In connection with the last issue, next Monday November 3rd, 2014, the Cuban Medical Brigade in Zimbabwe will start the course to update on the prevention and management of Ebola for the Cuban collaborators. This course has been scheduled as a part of the initial orientation of the new Cuban collaborators that will be arriving to Harare from October 31st to November 5th, 2014.”