Cuba Reaffirms Scientific and Humanitarian Commitment to Haiti

Havana, Sept. 8 (ACN) The Cuban Medical Brigade in Haiti will hold the XXIII National Scientific Conference, from October 3 to December 3, with the participation of Cuban and Haitian professionals, a high scientific level and social commitment, the Cuban Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) reported today.

Under the slogan "Updating and deepening knowledge for a better service", the conference will be dedicated to the centenary of the birth of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz (1926-2016), the 27 years of medical collaboration in Haiti, the 192nd anniversary of Carlos J. Finlay and the first year of the family medicine program in that country, and will feature the presentation of 95 scientific papers.

The Cuban Health Ministry explained that priority issues such as dengue, malaria, typhoid fever, lymphatic filariasis and HIV/AIDS will be main targets to address, and special emphasis will be placed on the progress of the family medical program, as well as on strategies in areas such as hygiene, epidemiology, surgery, physiotherapy, rehabilitation and medical entomology.

The initiative seeks to consolidate research as an essential pillar for clinical and therapeutic development, for the direct benefit of the Haitian population, while reaffirming the commitment of the Cuban Medical Brigade to regional public health, with science and solidarity as tools to face the most urgent health challenges.

According to the website of the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cuban medical cooperation in Haiti began in 1998, after the passage of Hurricane George, and was consolidated as part of the Comprehensive Health Program, devised by Fidel Castro to serve vulnerable populations in the Caribbean and Central America.