Johannesburg, November 02, 2023 - The Cuban Embassy in South Africa participated in a seminar organised by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), about the Cuban health care system, in which representatives of NEHAWU, DENOSA and FOCUS in the Gauteng province also participated.
The Third Secretary of the Embassy, Bryan Betancourt Brito, commented on the fundamental principles that define the Cuban health care system, among them internationalism, and highlighted the presence of hundreds of thousands of Cuban doctors in more than 160 countries. In his speech, he also said that despite Cuba's tangible achievements in the health sector throughout 60 years of Revolution, the blockade imposed on the country has caused severe damage to the development of this field, causing losses for more than three billion dollars.
The South African representatives acknowledged Cuba's development in primary health care, as well as the quality of Cuban professionals, more than 200 of whom are working in the least developed communities in South Africa.
Dr. Victor Figueroa, coordinator of the Cuban medical brigade in Gauteng province, referred to the beginnings of the medical collaboration with South Africa, almost 20 years ago, of which he is a founding member.
(Cuban Embassy in South Africa)