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Chilean doctors from ELAM arrive in Valparaiso disaster area

Santiago de Chile, Feb 4 (Prensa Latina) Chilean doctors graduated in Cuba from the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) are working in areas of Valparaiso affected by forest fires in the center-south of the country, which left 51 dead and thousands of homes destroyed.

The so-called fifth region is the most affected by the fire, which has caused, possibly, the greatest loss of human lives after the 2010 earthquake.

During the first day in the Achupallas area, the ELAM doctors made tours through the area, where they found some bodies of missing persons and coordinated with the police institutions in order to carry out the recovery.

They also attended people with injuries and, above all, with mental health disorders and panic crises, the mission coordinator, Héctor Riquelme, explained to Prensa Latina.

Riquelme, together with Emilio Peña and Lautaro Ferrada, were the first to arrive at the site and this Sunday another five doctors are expected from Santiago.

The idea is to install a health point in this sector to give a rapid response and continuous attention to the affected families, Riquelme said.

He explained that part of their training in Cuba included attention in disaster situations and their deployment in the field to attend emergencies such as fires, earthquakes, floods, and other calamities.

ELAM graduates have participated in several international and national emergencies as part of the Henry Reeve Brigade, he recalled. jrr/arm/mem/car

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