When the COVID-19 appeared in this province, in March 2020, the students and professors of the University of Medical Sciences knew that the challenges would not be few, and they were not wrong. From that moment, they assumed without hesitation a leading role in the confrontation with a disease that still plagues the world.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- Many people from Las Tunas do not forget the faces of the young people who knocked from door to door, inquiring about their health and “giving away” hope. They were seen fulfilling that duty with love, and it was awe-inspiring to see how they honored their uniform.
“At first, 3,075 students were incorporated into the investigation work in the communities to identify the presumptive or suspected cases of the disease. The students established empathy with the families and even helped the grandparents who were alone in their homes to look for their medicines, gestures worth recognizing,” Dr. Yadira Escobar Pérez, vice-rector of the institution, says.
A year after, the doctor recalls that the first actions were aimed at training the population, which included representatives of mass organizations, different sectors, and personnel who were going to be in the red zone.
“The training was focused on biosecurity measures to avoid the contagion with the disease. The whole process took place in a very organized way, and previously our professionals received the scientific preparation of how we would face the pandemic; some even traveled to the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine for that purpose.
BACK TO COMMUNITIES
Now, that Las Tunas is experiencing the most complex epidemiological scenario due to the rise in positive COVID-19 cases, and it was decided to suspend face-to-face classes to avoid infections in educational centers, the students of Medical Sciences return to the streets of Las Tunas to lend service.
They maintain close communication with their professors and, through the Virtual Health University, receive theoretical content. This is confirmed by the young Eduardo Rondón, president of the University Student Federation (FEU).
“We have kept the educational process at a distance and it has been a challenge for the University Students Federation (FEU). Today, we have to be more enthusiastic, proactive and develop all these activities from the virtual plane and look for other ways of doing it. We participate in production activities to support the country's economy,” he assures.
He comments that students who are in the last year of Stomatology, Medicine, and Nursing majors have been directly linked to medical care.
Those who are in the house-to-house inquiries have the essential purpose of identifying people who have symptoms associated with the coronavirus or other acute respiratory infections; foreign scholarship holders have been incorporated into this work. They also promote health, as they explain to residents the complexity of the pandemic.
The University of Medical Sciences continues to be at the forefront and ratifies the commitment and willingness to this fight, which belongs to all Cubans. Its headquarters has served as an isolation center for contacts and travelers.
Today, it assumes that task again, for the isolation of suspected patients; a group of workers of the institution has worked cohesively with the personnel who are in the red zone. Students are flagged and ready to enter when required.
Knowing that they are useful and the gratitude of the Las Tunas people are the best rewards for the effort of more than 12 months. And they will continue there, giving their best, and doing what pleases them the most: ensuring the health of the people.
