Kingston, Jamaica, 15 June 2020. At 12:15 p.m. (local time) on Monday, the thirty-fifth brigade of the Henry Reeve International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Disaster Situations and Serious Epidemics arrived at the Providenciales International Airport, in the Turks and Caicos Islands, sent abroad by Cuba to cooperate in the fight against Covid-19.
They were welcomed by Deputy Governor and Chief of the Public Service, the Honourable Anya Williams; the Minister of Health, Agriculture, Sports and Human Services, the Honourable Edwin Astwood, and the Chief of Medical Services, Denise Braithwaite, among other top government officials from that British overseas territory.
The arrival of the Cuban brigade responds to a request from the Turks and Caicos Islands authorities. It is a multidisciplinary group of 20 healthcare professionals, including 12 women, who will be assigned to local hospitals and health facilities to support the response to Coronavirus and other health problems suffered by residents of the islands. In her welcoming remarks, Deputy Governor Williams expressed her deep gratitude to the Cuban Ministry of Public Health for its willingness to cooperate in dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic.
For his part, the Minister of Health, the Honourable Edwin Astwood, recognized the high professional level of Cuban doctors and expressed satisfaction for including them into his team.