Harare, October 8, 2015 – Cuba's nearly four decades of medical cooperation with Zimbabwe captured the attention of attendees today at the panel "Organizing the Future of Health, Well-being, and Investment," with a presentation by Ambassador Susellys Pérez Mesa.
The presence of medical professionals from the Caribbean island began in 1986 to support the health of this sister country, the Ambassador stated during the meeting convened by Diplomat magazine and the Diplomatic Business Network in Harare.
With the assistance of the UNICEF Representative, Her Excellency Mrs. Etona Ekole, and the heads of diplomatic missions of Korea and Serbia, Pérez Mesa emphasized that the contingent is currently comprised of professionals from nine specialties, who have recorded 61,000 consultations, more than 2,107 surgeries, and 4,300 autopsies in two years.
She also discussed Cuba's history of international cooperation spanning more than six decades, highlighting its humanistic vocation and principles of solidarity.
The Ambassador explained the strengths of the Cuban healthcare system, based on bilateral opportunities to expand cooperation projects and joint initiatives involving different actors in the areas of primary care, training, capacity building, and telemedicine.
She praised other programs developed in Cuba and implemented in several countries with positive results, including those related to ophthalmology, vaccination programs, and cancer prevention.
At the same time, she discussed the possibility of promoting sustainable development through strategic alliances in the biotechnology sector, the introduction of products and medicines produced in the Caribbean country to Zimbabwe, the transfer of technologies, and the creation of joint ventures.
Cuba maintains its contribution with scholarships for students from this country and offers training opportunities in various specialties.
We are honored by the recent visit of the Minister of Health and Childcare, the Honorable Douglas Mombeshora, to attend the Cubasalud 2025 International Convention.
The Ambassador, who answered questions from the attendees, was accompanied by Minister Counselor Luis Enrique González Acosta and Dr. María Eugenia García, coordinator of the current 14th Medical Brigade of the Antillean country, which provides services in six hospitals in the capital and Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city.