ISLAMABAD, Nov 11: Cuba wants to build on the goodwill it earned in Pakistan by rushing medical assistance to earthquake victims last year.

“Cuba had no money to donate but we gave you our love and medical service. We wanted to prove good in our first experience with a Muslim country,” Cuban ambassador Gustavo Machin Gomes said addressing the Pakistan Scientists Club in Islamabad on Saturday.

He said he was currently negotiating with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) “networking” between scientific institutions of the two countries. It has also offered 10,000 places in medical colleges in Cuba to Pakistani students.

They would be provided books and food free. “We are facing problems with halal food but we are trying to overcome it with the help of embassies of Muslim countries in Havana,” he said.

Ambassador Gomes said the Cuban Medical Task Force (CMTF) reached the scene just five days after the earthquake hit on October 8. It established 44 medical positions to attend to the 1.7 million dazed people.

Cuban doctors became popular with the quake victims as they walked on foot from one devastated village providing medical attention and relief to the injured. “Women particularly had implicit trust in our doctors,” he said.

Almost 2,500 Cuban medical personnel were involved in the relief effort, including 1,463 doctors and surgeons, 1,146 general physicians, 915 paramedics, and 90 support staff.

They created a wordbook containing local words and phrases with their English equivalent with the assistance of local boys to communicate with their patients.

On returning home they jointly produced a book based on their experience in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.

Ambassador Gomes revealed that Cuba had one doctor for every 180 of its citizens.—JI