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Doctor Lerida Rodriguez
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As San Pedro continues to grow, one of the main concerns of the people
and visitors to the island is proper medical treatment. San Pedro has
come far in this area; from having only one nurse on the island to the
present Lions Clinic, San Pedro Health Center and various private
doctors. Recent construction underway on the first hospital on Ambergris
Caye is proof that we are moving along with the times to provide this
important service. This week we are pleased to introduce one of the fine
medical professionals of our community - Dr. Lerida Rodriguez.
Born and raised in Matanzas City, Cuba, Lerida was
always an ambitious girl going through elementary and secondary school.
At a young age she discovered her passion for medicine and helping others
so she moved to the capital city. She enrolled in the medical program and
graduated as a General Practitioner from the University of Havana in
1976. Dr. Lerida spent the next four years performing social services in
Matanzas City and then returned to the Hospital of Matanzas as a doctor,
specializing in Internal and Gastro-Intestinal Medicine. After only two
years, she was offered the position of Chief of Medical Staff at this
hospital that consisted of 900 beds. Dr. Rodriguez served in this
capacity to the best of her abilities for a period of two and a half
years. At this time, Guinea Bissau in Africa was one of seven of the
poorest areas in the world. Because of a mutual agreement between Africa
and Cuba they had requested medical assistance. Dr. Lerida volunteered
her services and moved to Africa for one year. The doctor recalls this as
being a valuable learning experience, not only from the people, but
because of the other medical professionals there.
Upon her return to Cuba, she was sent on another
assignment, this time to Belize. The same agreement as that with Africa
found the Cuban doctor at the Belize City Hospital in 1993. This one-year
period of her life was also fruitful as she learned a lot and made
numerous friends while working in the medical ward and out-patient
department. After her contract to work in Belize had expired she returned
to Cuba. The time spent in Belize had been unforgettable and motivated
her to return to this country. After only two months back home, Dr.
Rodriguez decided to move permanently to Belize, but this time to San
Pedro, Ambergris Caye where she had visited often and also made friends.
While waiting for her license to practice to be processed and approved,
Dr. Lerida obtained a job at the San Carlos Pharmacy in San Pedro. In
July of 1997, her license was granted and, with the help of many friends
from the island, Dr. Lerida opened her clinic and eventually her
pharmacy. Since then she has helped many residents and tourists of the
island.
Dr. Lerida Rodriguez has two children; one who
followed in her footsteps, a doctor practicing in Cuba. When asked about
her experience in San Pedro she commented, "I came to this island not
knowing many people and was well-accepted and helped by many. A lot of
people trusted and aided me without expecting anything in return. Belize
and San Pedro are now my second home. It gave me the opportunity to start
all over again and I will always be grateful." One of her biggest hopes
is to see a twenty-four hour emergency clinic/hospital here. She
commented, "I admire the work of the San Pedro Lions Club and Mr. Ramon
Nuñez for their wonderful efforts in building the first hospital in San
Pedro. This is a very important project that will benefit everyone in
this community."
After living and working around the world, Dr. Lerida
Rodriguez chose San Pedro as her permanent place to practice medicine.
She joins other health care professionals in bringing reliable medical
service to San Pedro and we thank her for "injecting" health into "Our
Community."
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