# Cuban pediatric surgery mourns the death of Professor Dr. Claudio Puente Fonseca

**Date:** 08/25/2021

Last August 18th, the beloved and admired Professor Dr. Claudio Puente Fonseca passed away in the city of Santiago de Cuba.

A Specialist of the Second Grade in Pediatric Surgery, full professor and consultant, he dedicated most of his life and work to the practice and teaching of the specialty, where he left an indelible mark and established deep medical and human roots. He was also an active and enthusiastic member of the Cuban Society of Pediatric Surgery, and for many years a member of the national group of the specialty.

His work as a surgeon, as a scientist and as a teacher remains deeply engraved in the community of Cuban pediatric surgeons, as well as his quality as a human being.

This is demonstrated by his national and international prestige, his participation in 18 international events, 21 national events, and dozens of territorial, provincial and institutional events, his affiliation with scientific societies in Cuba and Ibero-America, the dozens of courses taught and thesis work mentoring, as well as the extensive list of publications he authored, which began when he was a pediatric surgery resident. These covered various topics of the specialty, as well as the correct use of the Spanish language in its medical and surgical application, a field in which he excelled and for which he was widely recognized.

Dr. Claudio Puente was born on July 1st, 1945 in the city of Bayamo, current province of Granma. He graduated as a doctor in 1971 and in 1972 began his residency in Pediatric Surgery at the Provincial Hospital Saturnino Lora in Santiago de Cuba, which he completed at the Children's Hospital North in that city in 1975. He was a Specialist of the Second Grade since 1985 and Consulting Professor since 2006.

Among the main positions he held, his work in the National Group of Pediatric Surgery of MINSAP stands out, as well as his performance as the first surgical vice-director of the South Children's Hospital for 10 years.

He was the recipient of multiple distinctions and recognitions, and held various affiliations and memberships. Among these can be mentioned:

Recognitions and decorations (summary):

Recognition for selfless, constant and active work, granted by the Secretariat of Education, Training and Culture of the National Union of Health Workers and the National Training Directorate of the Vice-Ministry of Teaching and Research.
Certificate granted by the National Union of Health Workers as Best Worker at the provincial level in 1982.
Literacy Medal.
Diploma of Merit as proof and recognition of his internationalist work.
Distinction "For Cuban Education".
Internationalist Worker Medal.
Distinction "Manuel Fajardo Rivero",
Resolution of the Cuban Philatelic Federation, by which he is granted the recognition "Philatelic Merit". And Diploma of Founder of the Cuban Philatelic Federation.
Commemorative Medal 40th anniversary of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.
Annual Health Prize for Excellence in Work during 1999.
José Tey Medal.
Annual Health Prize in 1998 in the Updating category, for his work "Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia", and in the Scientific Article category for his work "Abbreviations and English Acronyms Useful in General Surgery".
Affiliations and memberships:

Full Member of the Cuban Society of Surgery, since 1985.
Associate Member of the Cuban Society of Pediatrics since 1977.
Member of the Management Board of the Provincial Council of Scientific Societies of Santiago de Cuba as of April 1986 and Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Santiago de Cuba Branch of the Cuban Society of Surgery since 1977.
Member of the Cuban Society for Research on Interferon, 1985.
Founding Member of the Ibero-Latin American Society of Surgeons, 1990.
Partner of the Pan-American Association of Pediatric Surgery founded in Mexico, D.F. For his professional capacity and commitment to the unification of Pediatric Surgeons of the American Continent.
Member of the National Group of his specialty since 1994.
Honorary Member of the Cuban Society of Pediatric Surgery, 2006.
Full Member of the Cuban Society of Pediatric Surgery, 2010.
Member of the National Group of Pediatric Surgery of MINSAP.

In Santiago de Cuba, Dr. Claudio Puente Fonseca was the head of the Provincial Group of the specialty of Pediatric Surgery, since its constitution in 1989. He was also president of the Research Commission and Member of the Executive of the Full Provincial Scientific Council of Health in Santiago de Cuba until 2016, as well as member of the Full Council of the Scientific Council of the Faculty of Medicine No. 2. He was a member of the jury and president of the experts commission of the Annual Health Prize at the provincial level for 9 years.

Upon learning of his death, many colleagues who knew him and admired him expressed tributes about his personality. Among them, we cite the following:

"What a great human being and what a great doctor we have lost. His contributions and his memory will be eternal, and we will never forget his teachings and his advice. (…) Glory of Cuban pediatric surgery, to whom we always professed great respect and friendship. Member of the Board of Directors of our Society and of the National Group of the specialty, he was a fundamental pillar in the Orient and throughout Cuba."

Dr. Ramón Villamil, president of the Cuban Society of Pediatric Surgery

"Excellent defender of our Spanish language, who took it upon himself to ensure that every physician in training had professional language of excellence. Thank you professor for your legacy."

Humberto Castro, on behalf of the Pediatric Surgery service of Santiago de Cuba.

"Scholar of pediatric surgery and language. (…) Claudio was a very special person, decent and well-mannered in all his actions."

Dr. Rafael Trinchet Soler

"It is an irreparable loss for the pediatric surgeons of the country, who lose a professional and an exceptional person."

Dr. Elizabeth Hernández

"The Most Excellent Full Professor and Consultant, Specialist Second Grade in Pediatric Surgery, staunch defender of the Spanish Language, assumed as his own the mission that health professionals have refined language. Great loss, great human being."

Dr. Emilio Cordiés, on behalf of the Cuban Society of Urology

"We admired him for his delicacy, his faith in humanity and his humility despite his greatness. A great loss for Cuban pediatric surgery."

Dr. Yanet Hidalgo

"Even as a young man, Claudio had the halo of the erudite. (…) His contributions are unforgettable, sprinkled with the enviable personal experience of someone who had always worked and found wisdom and mastery of what at that moment was being published and brought to the 'arena' for debate.
Keen observer of human beings, to his known culture one must add his crispy Cuban wit, his pleasant irony even to expose duplicity, weaknesses or incompetencies. He loved truth and sometimes his aquiline face expressed a compendium of phrases without wielding words. (…) We saw him grow while teaching, demanding with the moral of work and excellence with which he lived and educated himself, until the young people of today saw him retire one recent day."

Andrés Pi Osoria