US Blockade Has Sensitive Impact on Cuban Health System

Havana, May 5 (ACN) The over-60-year US economic, commercial and financial blockade has had a severe impact on the island’s health system calculated at 198 million 348 thousand dollars only between April and December 2020.

The effects by the US’s hostile Cuba policy worsened during the months the country has undergone the pandemic due to the negative impact by US sanctions on efforts to fight against the disease.

A donation of face masks and diagnostic kits by Chinese entrepreneur Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba Group could not reach Cuba because the US company in charge of shipping the donation stepped back in the last minute due to the US regulations against Cuba.

The purchase of lung ventilators from the US Vyaire Medical Inc. was not possible either due to the same reasons, while Swiss companies IMT Medical Ag and Acutronic Medical Systems Ag, two world leaders in developing such medical equipment with previous deals with Cuba, were both purchased by the US Vyaire Medical Inc, so they can no longer do business with the island due to the US blockade.

Swiss banks like UBS, Banque Cler and Banco Cantonal de Basilea rejected to transfer donations made to Cuba by supportive organizations like Medi-Cuba Switzerland and the Swiss-Cuban Association to back the island’s efforts against COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the Medical Products Import-Export Society MEDICuba S.A. contacted seven partner companies requesting to update documents to keep up trade relations; only ELI LILLY replied by rejecting the deal.

The society also called over 70 US companies about the import of medications, equipment and other resources for the Cuban Health System, but most of them did not reply, only three said they could not establish commercial links with Cuban entities due to the US blockade.

The economic loss added a campaign aimed at discrediting and hindering Cuba’s international medical cooperation, but they were not able to prevent that 57 Cuban medical brigades helped 40 countries against the pandemic.

On November 7, 2019 the UN General Assembly voted for the 28th occasion in a row since 1992 the Cuba-sponsored resolution on the “Necessity to put an end to the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.”

The resolution was passed with 187 votes in favor, only the United States, Israel and Brazil voted against, while Ukraine and Colombia abstained. On June 23rd Cuba will submit its 2020 report to the UN after it was put off due to the pandemic and scheduled for this year.