Carolinas HealthCare System hosts first lady of Guatemala

The first lady of Guatemala, Rosa María Leal de Pérez, visited Carolinas Medical Center Tuesday in part to thank local health officials for helping to equip hospitals and train health providers in her country.

“She wanted to thank us for the thousands of patients we’ve been able to help,” said Gerardo Pérez, who supervises language services for Carolinas HealthCare System and translated for the first lady.

Pérez is the wife of President Otto Pérez Molina, who took office in 2012. She toured CMC at the invitation of Carolinas HealthCare and its International Medical Outreach program which, in collaboration with Heineman Foundation of Charlotte, has provided equipment and training for Guatemalan hospitals for many years.

Among her hosts was Dr. Francis Robicsek, a renowned Charlotte heart surgeon whose volunteer work with Central American countries led to creation of the IMO program.

Since the 1970s, Robicsek has orchestrated delivery of countless pieces of used equipment from CMC to hospitals in Guatemala and other Central American countries. The gifts have supported medical services that had not previously been available in those countries.

This story was originally published May 19, 2015 at 1:52 PM with the headline "Carolinas HealthCare System hosts first lady of Guatemala."