New York, 30 January 2018. Cuba participated as a sponsor in the event "Achieving Poverty Eradication by Sustainable Health, Well-Being and Education: the Case of Ebola in West Africa and Other Epidemics around the World", in the framework of the 56th session of the Commission for Social Development, held at the United Nations headquarters.
The Permanent Representative of Cuba to this international organization, Ambassador Anayansi Rodríguez Camejo, expressed Cuba's strong commitment to international cooperation, including epidemic disaster relief, which is a modality that responds to the fundamental principles of its National Health System and its foreign policy, whose fundamental pillars are internationalism, humanism and solidarity.
She indicated that for Cuba, which immediately responded to the request for assistance made to the Government by the United Nations and the World Health Organization, fighting the Ebola outbreak in 2014 in West Africa can be described as the most risky and altruistic mission carried out in more than 55 years of international medical collaboration, given the characteristics of this highly contagious and lethal disease.
The Cuban diplomat said that from October 2014 to May 2015, Cuban medical brigades worked uninterruptedly in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia for almost seven months – dealing directly with the sick and also carrying out preventive actions in communities - until the outbreak was controlled. A total of 262 doctors and nurses, as well as diplomatic personnel, were involved in the honorable mission, in which 2,167 patients were treated.
Rodriguez Camejo alleged that Cuba´s major contribution for the prevention of the disease and the achievement of resilience in the affected countries and in other countries of that continent, has been keeping Cuban medical brigades in Africa, with over 3,000 collaborators, who are currently working in 28 countries, mainly in primary care. Training and capacity-building of local personnel by Cuban professionals is also part of this contribution.
She concluded by conveying her gratitude for having invited Cuba to participate in this event and reiterated that it is a pleasure to share views, dreams and hopes with our African brothers.
Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations.