Katia Siberia Garcia, Havana – Cuban doctors who fulfilled an internationalist mission in Timor-Leste arrived in Cuba on Thursday night, March 13, after two years in that South East Asian island nation. They were welcomed at Jose Martm International Airport by Jose Ramsn Balaguer, member of the Political Bureau and minister of public health.

Saving lives in the midst of frequent armed conflicts, providing more than two million consultations, creating a Faculty of Medicine where 148 Timorese doctors are being trained and contributing to bringing down the infant mortality rate were some of the many experiences and achievements of the 177 Cuban medical brigade members.

Roberto Fernandez Cordoves, head of the mission, told Granma that during the recent political crisis in Timor-Leste, the Cuban medical workers were the only ones to remain in the country, "which is why we are part of that country's history."

Balaguer expressed his admiration and respect for the internationalists, congratulating them especially for their complex and valiant labor of saving lives, even at the risk of their own.

[Translated by Granma International.]