Cuban health minister completes work agenda at World Health Assembly

 HAVANA, Cuba, May 23 (ACN) Cuban health minister Dr. Jose Angel Portal Miranda led an active delegation during his participation in the high-level segment of the 78th World Health Assembly, held in Geneva May 19-21.

His agenda included numerous bilateral meetings, interventions in key forums and the signing of cooperation agreements, according to the foreign ministry's website.

In the context of the event, the Cuban minister held bilateral meetings with more than 20 ministers and senior health officials, including those from Angola, Gambia, Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, Brazil, Equatorial Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Bahamas and Grenada, as well as representatives from China, Panama, Malawi, Pakistan, Rwanda, Palestine, Haiti, Dominica, Namibia, Cape Verde, Venezuela, Russia and Jamaica.

He also exchanged with the head of the Azerbaijan delegation, thus strengthening the ties of medical and technical collaboration between Cuba and these nations.

In addition, Portal Miranda met with executives of international organizations, including Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), and Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

He also spoke with representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the GAVI Vaccine Fund, among others.

Within the framework of the Assembly, the Cuban minister took part in the general debate and actively participated in the adoption of the Agreement on Pandemic Prevention, Response and Recovery.

Portal Miranda shared Cuba's experiences at the side event “New perspectives for a world without tuberculosis,” where he highlighted the island's progress in the fight against this disease.

The Caribbean health minister highlighted Cuba's medical collaboration model, which has benefited numerous countries through solidarity missions and professional training programs.

As a concrete result of these efforts, the minister signed MOUs with Indonesia and Oman, agreements that will expand and strengthen health cooperation with these nations.