On Wednesday, March 24th, Her Excellency Governor Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, was joined by Premier, Hon. Ellis Lorenzo Webster and a group of medical personnel, at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, to say an official farewell to the team of five Cuban doctors and nurses who were engaged in assisting the Anguilla Health Authority, since June 2020.
The team had willingly come to Anguilla to assist with the COVID-19 response, and their service here was highly applauded upon the eve of their departure. The brief farewell gathering was moderated by the CEO of the Health Authority of Anguilla, Mrs. Maeza Demis-Adams, who said in her opening remarks:
“Today is a bitter-sweet day, in that we have gathered to say goodbye to our friends from Cuba. This team has helped much with the COVID-19 national response for the last nine months. As they have been away from their families and friends for such an extended time, we know that they would have missed them. They had left their families in the middle of a pandemic and came here to assist us. We therefore want to take this opportunity to thank them.”
Mrs. Demis-Adams then recognized the presence of the Governor, the Premier, and the executive managers of the Health Authority. She told the Cuban team: “We have all come to thank you and applaud you for your hard work and dedication, and for making that sacrifice of leaving your family and friends to come to serve among the people of Anguilla. We are honoured that you have agreed to be with us, and we bid you much success for your future.”
HE the Governor, Ms Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, shared words of appreciation to the team: “I am thankful for this opportunity to express my own thanks, and to say thanks to you on behalf of the people of Anguilla. It has been an unprecedented and challenging year, and we appreciate the personal sacrifice that you have all made in being here. Your service over the past nine months was all for Anguilla’s gain, and we sincerely thank you for making that choice to come.”
“Her Excellency continued: “Anguilla has gained much in terms of the support and the resilience that you have brought to our medical team. Your help has enabled our medical personnel to successfully manage this COVID-19 pandemic. We also thank you for the friendship which you have provided to our medical professionals here. At a time when they had been so up against it, it was good to have had colleagues whom they can work with effectively. Thank you very much, again, for all you have done, and I wish you all the best as you leave. Safe travels on your journey back home.”
Premier, Hon. Ellis Lorenzo Webster also rendered words of thanks and goodwill to team: “As the song is sung, ‘there comes a time when we all must come together as one to heal the world and make it a better place,’” he said. “We thank you all for coming up to Anguilla from Cuba to help us. We highly appreciate the part that each of you has played in helping the Health Authority of Anguilla. We will never forget you, no matter what. As time passes, we want you to realize that we acknowledge that when we needed you, you came to our aid. I pass on to you much gratitude from the people of Anguilla.”
The Premier went on: “I too wish to thank you for the sacrifices that you have made in leaving your families, who gave you up to us. We are thankful that you were able to impart to us your experience which our medical professionals have gained much from. You were able to show our staff here at Princess Alexander the kind of protocols that should be followed in the event that anything bad happens during this pandemic time. We hope that we would continue to have no community spread.
“Thank you very much again for all that you have done. Thank you from my heart and from the hearts of the people of Anguilla. As you go back, we wish you travelling mercies and God’s help. God bless you all.”
The Chief of the team, Dr. Andres Vasquez was invited to comment: “I speak on behalf of all of us,” he said. “Anguilla is a natural paradise to us, and the people are lovely. We have enjoyed our stay here in your country. We would like to keep in touch with you all as we return to our homeland. We are happy that the pandemic in Anguilla is under control. We hope that it would be controlled all the time. We are happy that community transmission was avoided. We are hopeful that that aspect of the pandemic will always remain, as it is, with no community spread.”
He continued: “The vaccination process is ongoing. This can lead the government to open the door to economic recovery. This is a thing that everybody needs here, of course. In the name of my fellow team members, I want to thank the Health Authority for all the support that it has given to us.
“You have supported us 100% of the time that we have been here. We want to also thank the Premier, the former Governor, and the new Governor. We want to thank everyone at the hospital here who has made our work possible. Thanks for the care that you have shown us over these nine months. We will love you all, forever.”
After a high note of applause for Vazquez’s cordial response, Mrs. Demis-Adams reminded the Cuban team that they will always have a home at the Health Authority and in Anguilla.
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
