Rome, May 7 (RHC)-- The governor of the Lombardy region, Attilio Fontana, received the Cuban Ambassador to Italy José Carlos Rodríguez, to whom he expressed his deep appreciation for the island's help in the fight against COVID-19.

In a message published on Facebook, the regional Health Secretary, Giulio Gallera, referred to the meeting as "an important occasion to underline the collaboration with Cuba, which made available a group of professionals, doctors and nurses for the field hospital set up in Crema."

Gallera, the Cuban General Consul in Milan, Llanio González, and the Consul in Rome, Félix Lorenzo, also participated in the meeting.

For his part, Rodriguez indicated, through Facebook, that "we coincide' with Fontana and Gallera in evaluating positively the support of the doctors of Cuba in the confrontation with the COVID-19 in Italy.  We share the health and human value in difficult times."

The day before, the ambassador visited the neighbouring city of Crema where he shared with the 52 Cuban health collaborators present there since last March 22nd to fight the epidemic together with their Italian colleagues and met with representatives of the National Association of Italian-Cuban Friendship.

The Cuban diplomat praised the "dedication, high professionalism, modesty and human values" of the members of the Henry Reeve International Contingent of Specialized Doctors and Situations of Disasters and Serious Epidemics.

"No unhealthy campaign will be able to undermine them," stressed the ambassador, who after concluding his stay in Milan continued his trip to Turin, where 38 members of another Cuban medical brigade are saving lives together with their Italian counterparts.