Suva, June 26- In a virtual meeting held today, officials and health specialists from Cuba and the Pacific Islands States presented their experiences and knowledge in the fight against COVID19, as part of the cooperation and exchange actions agreed in the context of the negative international impact of the pandemic.
The Cuban participants, led by Dr. Jorge Delgado Bustillo, director of the Central Unit for Medical Cooperation (UCCM), made reference to the practices and protocols implemented by the Caribbean nation in the fight against the disease.
Dr. Marta Castro Peraza, from the Pedro Kourí Tropical Medicine Institute (IPK), addressed the epidemiological aspects of the disease and the prevention plans of the Cuban Public Health System. Meanwhile, doctors Narciso Jiménez and Rolando Mateo Rodríguez, also from the IPK, explained the results in the care and treatment of the seriously ill patient, as well as the organization of hospital flow and disinfection measures, respectively.
To the end the Cuban panel's intervention, specialists from the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) offered detailed information on the national biotechnological products used to treat the virus, which have shown a high degree of effectiveness. They underlined the potential of recombinant human Interferon Alpha 2B, the leading biotechnology product of the Island, monoclonal antibodies, Heberferon and the Jusvinza immunomodulatory peptide.
The large representation of the Pacific Island States had the participation of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Nauru, the Honorable Isabella Dageago, the Director of Public Health of Tuvalu, Dr. Christine Lifuka Alopua, graduated in Cuba, as well as representatives of the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs of the Solomon Islands, Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and Palau.
In their interventions, the foreign participants thanked Cuba for its permanent and valuable contribution to the improvement of health systems in the region. They agreed to highly value the scientific development of the Cuban health system and the usefulness of the experiences shared by our country, even when active cases of COVID19 are not registered in the Pacific Islands and the prevalence of the disease has been low, compared to others nations.
On his side, the Cuban Ambassador to Fiji, Carlos Manuel Rojas Lago, thanked the officials and specialists for their participation and assured that this initiative would stimulate other exchange and cooperation actions. At the same time, he reiterated the commitment and willingness of Cuba to contribute modestly to strengthening medical care in the Pacific Islands, even in the midst of the intensification of the genocidal policy of economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by United States, which makes it even more difficult to obtain essential supplies for health care for its citizens.
Embassy of Cuba in Fiji.