Cubans too are here for relief
Cuban team head set to call on NCHD Chief today
By Our Special Correspondent

ISLAMABAD—An 87-member team of doctors and paramedics of Cuba, on the special directives of the Cuban President Fidel Castro has arrived in Islamabad to help and assist Pakistan Government regarding medical treatment of the victims of tragic earthquake. The team headed by a senior official of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs includes some 70 doctors and 17 paramedics and has already started serving at Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Military Hospital (MH) and Cantonment Hospital Rawalpindi. The doctors include orthopaedic surgeons, general surgeons, physicians and anaesthetists.
Diplomatic sources told The Daily Mail that responding promptly to the earthquake tragedy in Pakistan; the Cuban President not only condoled with President General Pervez Musharraf but immediately rushed a team of medical professionals, the fact clearly indicates as to how much importance does Cuba give to its ties with Pakistan and as to how fast is the Cuban leadership in responding to tragedies of the global community, realizing fully Cuba's global obligations and commitments. It is learnt further that the Cuban President has written another letter to the Pakistani President and has assured that Cuba is sending an additional team of some 100 fully equipped doctors that would be arriving by today. The team, it is learnt would be conducting at least 300 surgeries everyday and would remain in Pakistan as long as required by the Pakistan Government. Meanwhile, the head of the Cuban team is likely to call on Chairman of the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), Dr Nasim Ashraf as the NCHD would be coordinating with the Cuban team for its placements in different quake-hit areas according to the requirements. In a meeting with the NCHD officials Omar Pereira Hernandez, Second Secretary and Consul at Cuban Embassy in Beijing, China who is also a member of the Cuban relief team was ensured that NCHD would extend all-out assistance to the Cuban team for effective utilization of the Cuban doctors through the coordinated efforts.