Meeting of heads of medical missions abroad kicks off in Havana

HAVANA, Cuba, Jul 8 (ACN) The 23rd Meeting of Heads of Medical Missions Abroad is being held in Havana to discuss strategies to strengthen international medical collaboration and professional training.

At the opening of the meeting at the Main Unit for Medical Cooperation (UCCM by its Spanish acronym), Dr. Tania Margarita Cruz Hernandez, Cuban first deputy health minister, highlighted the presence of Cuban brigades in 54 countries, with more than 23,000 collaborators providing medical care.

She emphasized that the Meeting of Heads of Missions is one of the priorities of the Ministry of Public Health, aiming to develop work systems to guarantee care for those who comprise these missions and expand health services abroad, always in defense of humanistic and altruistic principles.

As part of the activities, Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, Cuban deputy foreign minister, gave a keynote address on Cuba's foreign policy in response to the United States government's campaign against Cuban medical collaboration.

The official denounced the siege, in this second phase of maximum pressure being exerted under Donald Trump's administration on the most sensitive aspects and sectors of the Cuban economy.

Vidal Ferreiro emphasized that the Trump administration is no longer hiding its policy of destroying and harming Cuba without any regard or consideration, exemplifying the attacks on Cuban medical missions to prevent them from continuing to demonstrate their solidarity with other people.

She praised the work of Cuban health workers, recognized internationally for their professionalism and human quality, and praised the support of the governments where the collaborators are present, against the defamation and smear campaigns of the US government.

The Meeting of Heads of Medical Missions Abroad will continue until this Friday, providing a space for all participants to share experiences and initiatives related to healthcare provided in different nations and continents.