Dr. Manuel José Lage, an institution of cardiology in Sancti Spíritus

Treating the heart—an endeavor that experts consider an enviable exercise of human ingenuity, requiring the convergence of both soul and knowledge—has earned Dr. Manuel José Lage Meneses, a true institution in the field of cardiology in Sancti Spíritus, the respect of his colleagues and patients alike.

Born in Guasimal and a graduate of the Institute of Cardiology in Havana, Dr. Lage became a founder of the cardiology service in the province and a mentor to generations of specialists.

His professional journey includes significant experiences from missions abroad, such as a stint as a cardiologist in Portuguese Guinea in 1988 and another in Venezuela. “We were in Africa—in Portuguese Guinea—in 1988. I was a cardiologist at the time, and we treated cardiovascular disease, which was very common in that African country—especially heart disease—because there was absolutely no primary prevention. Even young people in their twenties suffered from heart disease. It was heartbreaking, as heart failure was the resulting cause of death.”

Venezuela marked another chapter of humanitarian service in the life of Dr. José Lage Meneses, where he demonstrated the high level of scientific expertise possessed by Cuban physicians while working in the Bolivarian nation’s healthcare centers. He also brought with him the teaching experience he had gained at the Camilo Cienfuegos Provincial General Hospital and other leading Cuban medical institutions.

In his view, teaching is one of the practices that most fully develops a physician—and a human being. A doctor who tries to separate clinical practice from teaching is failing; teaching is part of a clinician’s growth. The more you teach, the more you grow as a practitioner. That is why I urge all my colleagues to get involved in teaching.