The inauguration of the modern Medical and Diagnostic Center of Georgetown became a massive act of solidarity and friendship with Cuba, in which hundreds of inhabitants of the second Vincentian city, joined Governor-General Sir Frederick Ballantyne, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves and his Government to celebrate the opening of the magnificent facility, built on the initiative of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, and with the project, technical advice, medical equipment and medical personnel, secured by Cuba.
In her speech, the Cuban Ambassador, Vilma Reyes Valdespino stressed that with the opening of this Center, a dream of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro was consummated and highlighted that Cuba's contribution to the project, in the different phases, including the donation of equipment and the allocation of a contingent of 23 doctors and health technicians, demonstrates the firm will of the Cuban people, besieged and blocked by imperialism, to stand firm in their internationalist vocation and in their conviction that a better world is possible.
The Minister of Health, Welfare and Environment, Luke Browne, said that the Georgetown Medical Complex is a monument to the friendship between Cuba and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
In summarizing the activity, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said that Commander in Chief Fidel Castro would have been proud of the Modern Medical and Diagnostic Center in Georgetown. He recalled the first time that the Commander in Chief spoke to him about the possibility of building such a facility and thanked the support received in the following years by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz and the current President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
After the official part, the inauguration ceremony took place, in which the Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, the Governor General Sir Frederick Ballantyne, the Minister of Health Luke Browne and the Ambassador of Cuba Vilma Reyes Valdespino, unveiled the inaugural plaque and cut the ribbon, officially rendering the Modern Medical and Diagnostic Center of Georgetown open.
The activity concluded with a tour of the facilities by the public.