Rossana González, general secretary of the National Doctors' Union (Sinamed) of Paraguay, defended her training as a doctor in Cuba on Tuesday and rejected the idea that studying on the island implies any ideological identification with the Cuban regime.
The leader responded to a campaign of attacks on social media against her professional record at a time when she is spearheading a national strike by doctors in the Paraguayan public sector.
According to Radio 780 AM, González explained that he traveled to Cuba in 1996, when he was 17 years old, through an agreement between both countries after being unable to access other options to study Medicine.
Originally from Ciudad del Este and the daughter of separated parents, she stated that her family did not have the means to support her education in Asunción, where opportunities to study Medicine were very limited at that time.
Before traveling to Cuba, he tried to secure a position through an agreement to study in Brazil, but he was not accepted despite his academic results.
"That was the first act of corruption in my life, that I was excluded. I was a better student with five perfect scores in school," she stated.
It was then that he accepted the opportunity to study on the island. González denied that his decision was related to political affinities.
"I have never belonged to a movement, neither florist, nor communist, nor socialist, nor liberal, nor red," he emphasized.
He also addressed the questions regarding his participation in activities of the Cuban diplomatic representation during those years. He explained that he attended out of gratitude to the country where he was able to study, not because he shared its political system.
"When I was invited to the events at the embassy, why wouldn't I show up? Not because you share the ideologies, but out of gratitude for the country that provided you with an education," he noted.
Report attacks from fake profiles
González reported that the campaign against him includes posts from fake profiles, bots, and trolls that question his professional performance and have even spread information about his salary.
"This is not against Rossanna González, this is about the medical guild. I am a representative and I am the voice, but I am being attacked by bots and trolls, people who do not exist and fake profiles that are trying to tarnish my image," she declared, according to ABC Color.
The controversy arises amid the national strike initiated by Sinamed on August 24, which calls for salary increases, better working conditions, and supplies for the healthcare sector. The union demands a wage adjustment of up to 76%, while the Paraguayan government considers that demand "impossible."
The conflict escalated this week with the submission of resignations from hundreds of specialist doctors to the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare.
Cuba has offered for decades scholarships to low-income Latin American students to study Medicine on the island, a policy that has also been surrounded by questions regarding its ideological component.
González stated that he does not intend to continue responding to questions about his past and requested to focus the discussion on the demands of the professionals he represents.
"This is the last time I will speak about this, because this is not personal; it’s about the profession and the representation of 11,000 doctors," he concluded.
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