Page 31 - Nile Explorer Issue 007

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human beings, it is a war as fridges or other household appliances
for the life of human to their families while they are away,
beings, it is a war against things that are never available in Cuba
diseases, against repeating due to the long standing embargo.
calamities, and one of the Besides many doctors have also used the
first things this world mission to escape from the country that
should learn especially is still under authoritarianism. Between
now, with the changes that 2006 and 2016, more than 7,000 Cuban
are taking place and the doctors defected to the US. Several
phenomena of this type, is stayed on Brazil at the end of the Zika
to cooperate. epidemic in 2015.
Cuba boasts of one of the The Cuban heath system is hyper
best health systems in the centralized of the Cuban government,
world, complete with a making it extremely effective at disaster
Universal Health Care relief. And while health professionals on
program that is a study and the island operate on a shoestring, the
envy for many countries system is geared to preventing disease
around the word. The rather than waiting to treat it. The
excellent training of model that has worked well in the island
Cuban doctors as well as country, could serve as a lesson to many
the fact that they are used developing countries in Africa with very
according to statis- to working in precarious and high-risk weak and underfunded health systems.
Cuban doctors tics published by the situations is without doubt an invalu-
hold an image of state media. able support for the Italian people. Following the 1959 Revolution, many
late Cuban Cuban doctors have been deployed in physicians fled the country, leaving
President Fidel They have helped Haiti during the January 12, 2010, barely 3,000 doctors in all of Cuba to
Castro during a both in disaster relief, earthquake, in African to fight the Ebola meet the needs of the population, how-
farewell ceremony as well as to provide ever, revolutionary leader Fidel Castro
before departing access to healthcare virus, and in Brazil in the fight against
to Italy to assist, for those living in the Zika virus. emphasized education and universal
amid concerns remote areas, for Despite the admirable aspects of the healthcare and soon turned things
about the spread around by establishing prestigious med-
of the coronavirus example in Venezuela Cuban programme, it is always ical universities.
disease and Brazil. These criticized in equal measure by those
(COVID-19) interventions are who suggest the real interests of the Today, Cuba's national health system
outbreak, in born out of trade programme are economic and diplo- has more than 485,000 employees to
Havana, Cuba, matic, and that it allows Cuba to shift attend to 11.2 million people. Thou-
March 21, 2020. cooperation agree- sands of doctors have also worked
REUTERS ments between the scrutiny away from its poor human
receiving country and rights record. abroad under the Cuban policy of medi-
Cuba, for which the Cuban government Others see it as the application of “selec- cal cooperation.
gets paid either in cash or in goods. tive humanitarianism” of the As of 2005, Cuba became the world
In 2019, more than 28,000 Cuban programme, calling attention to the leader in the ratio of doctors to popula-
healthcare professionals were working lower numbers of doctors available to tion with 67 doctors per 10,000 popula-
abroad. And before the outbreak of the the Cuban population due to the high tion as compared with 43 in the Russian
coronavirus, 59 countries were benefit- numbers of doctors working abroad. Federation and 24 in the United States.
ing from Cuba’s medical international- Another observation and angle to the As of last year, according to the Cuna
ism. The Cuban government recently Cuban medical missions is that doctors government, the country had physicians
confirmed that its medical missions will and nurses who take part, are driven by to population ratio of nine doctors per
be maintained and that, where needed, the opportunities these missions repre- thousand inhabitants, still the world
the services provided by their doctors sent for them and their families other highest. The island country has more
would focus on combating the virus. that solidarity with host countries. than 100,000 active doctors, the highest

In 2005, while waiting for Bush’s Indeed, many of them, working on a number in its history. No other small
response, after he offered to send mission improve their standard of living undeveloped country has achieved such
medics to the US, Castro widely quoted when they return to the island. Others a feat regarding the training of human
having said: This is not a war between use the opportunity to send goods such resources. •
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