For this member of the first group of graduates from the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), it meant going beyond the professional and academic fields, the opportunity to share with colleagues from 25 nationalities.

All this experience enriches anyone from the personal and human points of view, and allows us to have a look that values much more what one has as a nation and to scale a problem or difficulty, she told Prensa Latina.

“I also highlight the possibility of getting to know Cuba not as a tourist, but as one more, sharing with Cubans, learning about their values and solidarity so marked by fire,” she emphasized. In this regard, she learned the concept of not giving what was left over, but rather sharing what she had, and appreciated “the opportunity to be welcomed by a Cuban family, who gave me their love, guidance, advice, and who to this day I consider my family.”

Fagundez joined the Management Team of the only State-level Specialized Ophthalmological Hospital for comprehensive visual health care in Uruguay.

Founded in 2007 in the context of Operation Miracle to address the problem of cataracts, the hospital promotes humanized care, with equitable and decentralized access and provides a service of excellence in each of its locations, recognized for its ethical values, the experts said.

To the more than 100,000 cataract surgeries performed since that date, she added 35,000 patients with other ophthalmological ailments, “due to the enormous contribution from the Medical Brigade of Cuban collaborators” since that founding date.

She reported that over time other diverse care needs were identified, and glaucoma and retina departments were created along with the development of teaching associations that allowed the training of new generations of specialists here.

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