New York, October 25th, 2023.- One of the sectors severly hit by the criminal economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba is Health.
Between March, 2022 and February, 2023, blockade losses to public health sector caused totaled USD 239,803,690, almost USD 80,000,000 more than in the corresponding period preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. During the over 60 years in which the blockade has been imposed, the accumulated losses thus incurred in the health sector have reached USD 3,625,840,594.
Purchases of the supplies needed to sustain the public health system have been severely affected by the cancellation of contracts, rising marketing costs and growing pressure on the banks worldwide, a situation compounded by the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While COVID-19 was aggravating conditions in the Cuban public health system, which is universal and free of charge, Washington did not ease a single element of the blockade. On the contrary, this inhuman policy was ramped up, creating difficulties and delays in obtaining essential medical supplies and equipment, including those required for scaling up production of the Cuban vaccines. It also even obstructed purchase of medicinal oxygen from third countries
The deliberate, shameful obstruction of supplies of pulmonary ventilators when most needed by our health system is an indication of the utter inhumanity of this policy and of its violation of the right to life.
The exceptional conditions under which Cuba was obliged to respond to SARS-COV 2 were acknowledged by the Special Rapporteur on Unilateral Coercive Measures of the UN Human Rights Council, Alena Dohan, in a keynote lecture at Havana University on May 4, 2023 on the occasion of an academic visit to Cuba.
“Cuba was the only country to which AliExpress could not make and distribute donations, due to the deterrent effect of the U.S. unilateral sanctions. This is illegal”, stated Dohan.
In recent years, dozens of suppliers around the world have suspended dealings with Cuba. The results have included unprecedented difficulties for the pharmaceutical industry, in the worst cases severely affecting its supply lines.
The impact on Cuba’s purchasing power has also restricted the scope for extra funding of medicines that, without the blockade, would be obtained at prices three or four times less than their actual levels.
Such severe limitations undermine the quality of public services, causing delays, waiting lists for specialist consultations, lengthening of hospitalizations and similar problems, with a direct impact on the national health indicators.
To quote a single example, the infant mortality rate in 2022 was 7.5 per thousand live births, compared with the pre-2019 levels around or below 5.0. The intensifying financial restrictions, the impossibility of accessing essential supplies for the National Mother-and-Child Care Program, among others, directly undermined full realization of the right to health. No country deserves to be subjected to such harassment and cruelty.
Furthermore, the US government has kept up its hate campaign aimed at discrediting and disrupting the international medical cooperation Cuba offers, spreading lies and discouraging third countries from seeking our services. This is part of an assault designed to deprive Cuba of the fair, honest and legitimate revenues generated by the efforts of thousands of professionals trained technically, humanistically and ethically in the country.
On November 1 and 2, the United Nations General Assembly will consider and vote on the draft resolution "Necessity of ending the economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba". Once again, the international community will raise its voice and overwhelmingly reject this unjust, illegal and cruel policy.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations