Egyptian website criticizes US Campaign against Cuban medical aid

The Egyptian website, the Hispano-Arab League, criticized the United States' campaign against Cuba, including attacks on Cuba's medical cooperation with other nations.   

The objective of the attacks against the Cuban medical cooperation is to deprive Cuba of an important source of income and cause the Cuban economy to stagnate in order to cause internal unrest, the site stated. The idea is to provoke a popular uprising against the government, a campaign that “constitutes a flagrant violation of Cuba’s independence and sovereignty,” it emphasized.

The source criticized US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s decision to suspend entry visas to the US for authorities associated with Cuban international medical cooperation agreements.

The website cited a statement from the Cuban Foreign Ministry, according to which the Trump administration’s measure aims to influence the healthcare services of millions of people in Cuba and around the world in favor of private interest groups.

The Egyptian media outlet emphasized that Cuban medical programs in various latitudes are compatible with United Nations plans to promote cooperation among countries in the South. “Some nations contribute their human resources and receive financial compensation for the services provided,” it explained, emphasizing that all Cuban health collaborators carried out their missions at the “explicit request of the authorities of the countries where they provide their services.”

The website noted that Cuban specialists work in more than fifty nations through “bilateral cooperation agreements signed between the ministries of health.” Furthermore, the personnel who perform these tasks are not unemployed because, without exception, all of them work in Cuba.

The outlet also highlighted that for decades, Cuba has provided free and supportive assistance to “those countries suffering from unfavorable economic conditions.” “Cuba cooperates with many nations on the basis of integration and partial compensation for services provided,” it stated.

The Cuban Revolution was deprived of thousands of doctors since its beginning in 1959, as a result of a false campaign launched by the United States government. However, since then, it has dedicated significant resources to the health sector and the training of professionals, the website emphasized. “Obtaining health services is a human right, and Cuba contributes to the enjoyment of this right in many countries around the world,” it emphasized.