The conversation between Prensa Latina and Urrea—a 2015 graduate of the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM)—takes place as his country faces a difficult time following a deadly earthquake that has left a tragic toll of over 300 dead and more than four thousand injured.

  Urrea regretted that, due to long-standing structural issues, his country lacks a primary, preventive healthcare system capable of responding more effectively to disaster situations.

  A personal commitment drives the young doctor to stand by those affected by the disaster.

  “We feel it is an obligation to stand with the people at a time when they need a friendly, fraternal hand,” he says.

  “The island”—referring to Cuba—”sowed that feeling of solidarity and brotherhood in us,” he notes.

  He is guided by the principle Fidel Castro expressed when creating ELAM—a principle he now shares with me.

  “More than doctors, you will be zealous guardians of what is most precious to human beings; apostles and creators of a more humane world,” the doctor says.

  He remembers how the project to train health professionals was born precisely out of two hurricanes that devastated the Caribbean and Central America, leaving behind a vast number of victims and incalculable material damage.

  “For all these reasons, we’re prepared and ready to help in any corner of the world,” he declares.

jdt/mar/ifs