Havana, July 6 (RHC)-- The Saharawi Medical Association declared that the Henry Reeve Cuban Medical Brigade, trained in the fight against natural disasters and serious epidemics, deserves to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize by the Norwegian committee.

The organization indicated, in a document, that the health professionals of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and its medical collegial organization consider that this contingent of "brave physicians," founded in 2005, "has sown on the five continents the most beautiful values of brotherhood and peace, saving lives and making sacrifices in solidarity with the most needy."

Among the most important events in the last 55 years in the context of Cuba's international medical collaboration is the creation of this contingent, made up of specialists in situations of natural disasters and serious epidemics, the statement said.

The organization also said that the Henry Reeve detachment deserves such recognition since it concentrates the knowledge, experience and solidarity and altruistic humanism in difficult situations of the work of Cuban medical brigades in the world.

The statement pointed out that the medical personnel of the Caribbean state, who in the current context of the COVID-19 came to lend their help in solidarity to many countries, including Italy, receive recognition from governments, international organizations and personalities from various latitudes for these selfless actions.

In its statement, the Saharawi Medical Association said that "our people in exile and in the refugee camps received, from 1977 to the present day, the generous and disinterested help of the Cuban medical brigades," which worked under difficult conditions.

Various organizations have endorsed the fact that these highly trained professionals of the Henry Reeve follow the path of those health specialists who, since May 23, 1963, officially began Cuba's international medical collaboration in Algeria.

Also present is the work in 2014 of 256 professionals from that contingent in the fight against the deadly Ebola virus in the African states of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

It is worth recalling that in 2017 the Executive Board of the World Health Organization awarded the Public Health Prize in memory of Dr. Lee Jong-wook.

Also, previously, and in recognition of the important contribution of the Cuban government and doctors in the battle against the pandemic, in July 2016 the NGO Help Fight Ebola Canada awarded them the important Friends of Africa Humanity Award.

Among other awards, the Henry Reeve contingent also received the Solidarity Award from the Italian Foedus Foundation.