I am John, service engineer from Colombia office. This January, I was assigned to support the medical providers fighting against the COVID-19 outbreak. My main task was to check all environments and conditions of the client hospitals and complete the installation of Mindray IVD products. I arrived in Venezuela on January 22, and started collaborating with local customers immediately. For one and a half months, I traveled in eight cities across the country and supported the local hospitals. While I was working at the last hospital in Valencia, COVID-19 officially arrived in Venezuela and the hospital I was serving was responsible for attending confirmed cases, hence I was facing a high risk of contracting the virus. Such unusual circumstances inspired me to deliver the best service possible. As a result, my team installed 26 IVD devices and provided comprehensive training to medical providers in 13 hospitals in Venezuela.
As I finally accomplished the task, another unexpected change blocked my trip back home. To prevent the spread of the disease into Venezuela, the governments of Brazil and Colombia temporarily closed their borders with Venezuela. After meticulous planning and painstaking communication, I flew to Cuba and finally made my way home on March 18. The COVID-19 odyssey will be branded in my memory for a lifetime.
