New York, 23 September 2019. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, who is in New York City, heading the Cuban delegation to the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly, participated today in the Plenary Session of the High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage, held within the framework of this momentous event.
The Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized that despite the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the government of the United States of America against Cuba for almost six decades, the island's health care system is free and universal. Among the achievements in this sector, at the end of 2018, we can mention: a life expectancy of 78.45 years and an infant mortality rate of 4.0 per thousand live births; an immunization level of 98%, with 14 infectious diseases eradicated, nine that do not constitute a health issue and 29 controlled communicable diseases. At the same time, the country maintained the indicators that certified it as the first country to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and congenital syphilis.
Rodríguez Parrilla also endorsed Cuba's contributions in the field of universal cooperation, currently attacked by the hostile U.S. policy against the island, which attempts to discredit and sabotage Cuban medical cooperation programs with developing countries.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations