Nurse sent by the Cuban government to treat coronavirus patients dies in Dominica
A nurse sent by the Cuban government to Dominica to treat COVID-19 patients died after “suddenly collapsing” on Tuesday, authorities of the small Caribbean island said.
Dominican media outlets identified him as Yoet Michel Ramos Cordero. The Cuban state media has not yet reported his death.
At a press conference on Wednesday night, Dominica Health Minister Irving McIntyre confirmed the death of a member of the “Henry Reeve” Cuban medical brigade that arrived in that country on March 29 to support the fight against the coronavirus.
Without mentioning his name, McIntyre said the deceased, 42, had “suddenly collapsed” but did not specify the cause of death.
McIntyre did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the minister’s statements, Ramos Cordero spent 14 days in quarantine after arriving from Cuba and then began working in a COVID-19 patient isolation unit at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Roseau, the capital.
Ramos Cordero worked there from April 16 to 20 and was quarantined for another two weeks, “which is normal protocol,” said the minister.
He died just as he was due to resume work on Tuesday, this time at the Accident and Emergency Department.
According to his page on the social network LinkedIn, Ramos Cordero was a nurse at the Hermanos Armeijeiras hospital in Havana and specialized in arrhythmia and pacemakers.
At Dominica’s request, the Cuban government sent 35 doctors and nurses to that country to reinforce health personnel dedicated to treating patients with COVID-19.
The Cuban government has sent some 500 health workers to eight Caribbean nations due to the coronavirus crisis. The sale of medical services is Cuba’s largest source of revenue, bringing in $6.4 billion last year.
But doctors who have deserted from these official missions describe them as “slave work” because the government takes most of their wages, restricts their movements and orders them to do political work in some host countries.
Miami Herald reporter Jacqueline Charles contributed to this story.
Follow Nora Gámez Torres on Twitter: @ngameztorres
This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 5:31 PM.