The medical community of Leticia, in the Colombian department of Amazonas, is shocked by the death of the Cuban gynecologist Waldo Abel Fuentes Betancourt, found deceased at the clinic where he worked.
Fuentes Betancourt, aged 61 years, was originally from Santiago de Cuba, had acquired Colombian nationality, and worked as a specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics at the Leticia Clinical Foundation.
Her body was found on Tuesday, September 1, around 3:00 p.m., in one of the staff rest dormitories located on the top floor of the building.
According to the reports disseminated by Amazonas News Radio and Radio Tropical Amazonas, local media from the region, it is believed to have been a suicide, although this version has not been officially confirmed.
As of this Thursday, there is no official statement from the National Police of Colombia, the Attorney General’s Office, the Institute of Legal Medicine, or the clinic itself that formally establishes the circumstances of the death.
A normal day that ended in tragedy
Fuentes had worked normally during the morning of Tuesday, attended to inquiries, and took his usual break at noon.
After about an hour had passed without him returning to the scheduled shifts, colleagues and nursing staff went upstairs to look for him.
Upon receiving no response, they entered the break room and found him lifeless.
Several patients claim to have seen him working normally just hours before.
Julieth Ruiz wrote on social media: "And this morning I was attended to."
Naty Bless was more explicit: “The doctor did an ultrasound on me on Monday, that is, yesterday. And today he dies. What happened to him? He looked perfectly fine.”
Without relatives located and without official communication
According to Amazonas News Radio, at the time of the announcement of the death, there were difficulties in locating the doctor's relatives in Cuba.
The local media reported that they had been unable to establish contact with people close to the doctor on the island.
Leticia is an enclave city in the Amazon rainforest, with no land connection to the rest of Colombia, accessible only by air or river.
The Leticia Clinical Foundation, a private non-profit institution, had not released any statement regarding the case until this Thursday.
A figure valued beyond borders
The death of Fuentes sparked a wave of condolences on social media, depicting the profile of a doctor who made a significant impact in several countries.
Former colleagues recall having met him in Venezuela, while patients and colleagues in Colombia mourn what they consider an irreparable loss.
Bárbara Rodríguez Corrales, who worked alongside him for two years, described him as "an excellent person, professional, with unmatched charisma and a very good human being."
Eliana Liendo wrote: "I still can't believe it. I learned a lot from you; you were one of my mentors in that area. Thank you for everything good."
Messages of sorrow also arrived from Santiago de Cuba.
Gustavo González Neyra, a colleague from the University of Medical Sciences in that city, informed his peers of the passing with the following words:
"Brother, it was only you who decided what to do. Today, I can only say and inform all the colleagues at the Medical Sciences in Santiago de Cuba that we have lost a friend and colleague. Rest in peace, Waldo Fuentes Betancourt."
The circumstances of his death remain unconfirmed officially
In the absence of a report from the Colombian authorities, the exact circumstances of Waldo Abel Fuentes' death remain unconfirmed.
Fuentes developed part of his professional career outside of Cuba, and former colleagues claim to have crossed paths with him in Venezuela before his time in Colombia.
The testimonials published after his passing reflect the impact of the news among colleagues, patients, and friends who knew him throughout his professional career.
Claydee Pérez, who referred to him as his buddy, summed it up with evident pain: "My great brother, buddy, friend, thank you for so much. I will miss you dearly. We had plans... A hard blow."
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