January 4th, 2019; Havana. Miguel Díaz-Canel, President of the State and Ministerial Councils of Cuba, highlighted the accomplishments of Cuban Medicine, as a result of the Family Doctor and Nurse Program, which marks 35 years on November 4th of this year, since it was founded by Fidel Castro. On the 35th Anniversary of the FamilyMedicine Program, we congratulate all those who form and have formed a part of it; their contribution has been a decisive factor in the results achieved in the National Health Care System. He added: “Our respect and solidarity with our sister nations, in which more than 347,700 Cuban Doctors and Health Care Workers have worked, many of them in remote and hard to reach places and have taught more than 27,200 young people as professionals”.
From its inception on the 4th of January, 1984, this important program has made more than 18 million visits to members of families and 84 million medical consultations, with an impact on the quality of life indicators such as the reduction in infant mortality, the increase in life expectancy and the control of chronic communicable and non-communicable diseases.
Presently, Cuba has in its possession, 10,869 family doctors Consultation Offices, 449 Polyclinics and 785 Basic Health Care Work Groups that make a part of our Primary Health Care, which has among its principal challenges, to meet 70% of the population’s health problems at the primary level.