With support in Miami, a long-established, Washington-based, far-right conspiracy group sold propaganda depicting a Cuba without freedoms.
Since 1959, this has been part of a range of pretexts lined up to justify the application of a hardline policy against the island.
What is the backbone of this action? The economic-financial-trade embargo that has already imposed over a trillion dollars in losses on the country, as well as a series of assaults, with the sole exclusion of direct intervention from U.S. armed forces.
In more recent years, they have been selling their story on human rights violations in Cuba in bulk.
They are keeping hold of rotten goods to deny or question the solid facts of daily life in the nation.
On Saturday, Adele Benzaken, an expert from the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), stated that Cuba’s public health system is one of its strengths for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of syphilis and HIV/AIDS.
Benzaken is the co-president of the regional group visiting Cuba aimed at examining whether the country complies with the established norms to validate the eradication of these diseases.
She stated that they examined four working areas to understand how the national program is organized.
And later, she disclosed the following in a press conference: “They have verified and confirmed the report data presented by the Cuban authorities.”*
This was said in the presence of Dr. Merceline Dahl Regis, president of the International Committee of Experts, and José Luís Di Fabio, PAHO/WHO (Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization) representative in Cuba.
Benzaken also stated that Cuba is the first country in the world to initiate this type of validation process.
During the 67th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, on May 19, 2004, Cuba was elected to chair the assembly, representing the Americas.
Such considerable respect was not unrelated to the important role that the island already played in Africa as the leader in the fight against the devastating Ebola epidemic.
WHO is made up of 194 member states, which are represented by 3,000 delegates in the Swiss city of Geneva.
Cuba’s Minister of Public Health Dr. Roberto Morales Ojeda was responsible for conducting the sessions.
WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan announced the results of the activity in Cuba and commended Dr. Morales Ojeda for the way in which he advanced the debates.
Likewise, Dr. Chan showed her willingness to work with Havana to ensure quality health care throughout the world.
The intention to reduce the 1990s mortality rate among children younger than 5 years by two-thirds in 2015 was addressed, among other issues.
There was a clarification, since Cuba achieved this objective many years ago, such that in 2013, the country attained an average of 4.2 per 1,000 live births, which is less than that of the United States and Canada.
Several weeks after the WHO Assembly in Geneva, Dr. Chan visited Havana on Aug. 1.
During her stay, she said that the Cuban health care system is “closely linked to research and development.”
On Friday, another significant statement was made by a relevant European Union official.
This was Christos Stylianides, commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, who recognized the role played by Cuba in the fight against Ebola.
In a press release, Stylianides stated that the international community should express its gratitude toward the island for placing its expertise at the service of those in need.
He also emphasized that he was able to appreciate the work of Cuban doctors in various West African nations.
Havana undertook actions in that region to instruct and train health specialists in African, Latin American and Caribbean countries.
As a result, around 18,000 persons have already received training to confront the Ebola epidemic and other epidemiological emergencies.
It is no wonder that the best statement on Cuba’s importance on this front was made by Dr. Margaret Chan during her visit to the island:
“We sincerely hope that all of the world’s inhabitants will have access to quality medical services, as they do in Cuba.”*
*Editor’s note: Accurately translated, this quote could not be verified.
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