Addis Ababa, October 3 (RHC)-- The Surgery Society of Ethiopia on Thursday presented its annual award to Cuba for its contribution to the development of that medical specialty and the training of physicians from this African country.

At the awards ceremony, Society President Dereje Gulilat praised  Cuba's medical collaboration all over the world through assistance programs and free scholarships to students from several countries, including Ethiopia.

At the 24th Annual Assembly of the Society, which opened on Thursday, Gulilat particularly highlighted the presence of Cuban doctors and paramedics in several Ethiopian regions during more than 40 years of bilateral relations.

He noted that the first surgeons who arrived in the country were from Cuba, and emphasized the Caribbean island's support for the opening of the Medical Faculty in Jimma, a city in the southwestern state of Oromia.

More than 4,000 young Ethiopians have benefited from scholarships in Cuba, including a significant number in medical specialties, and more than 50 graduates are surgeons who are rendering their services here, he added.

They constituted the initial workforce for the development of surgery, he went on to say.

Cuban Ambassador to Ethiopia Vilma Thomas expressed gratitude for the award on behalf of her country's people, government and the professionals who have been and still are linked to bilateral cooperation in the field of public health.