Pretoria, April 28, 2020.- The Friends of Cuba SA (FOCUS) welcomes the CubanInternationalist Health Brigade to South Africa. Today, theCuban commitment to international solidarity in health careis once again demonstrated.
At a time when so many nations are looking inward in the fight against COVID-19,
Cuba is sharing its health personnelwith the world, including our country. Since April this year,Cuba has sent medical personnel to fight COVID-19 to over 15 countries - from Angola to Italy and Andorra - and thenumber continues to grow.
They show to the world thatthis is not a time for betrayal of international solidarity.
The presence of Cuban doctors and health specialists inSouth Africa will significantly boost this country’s capacity to fight COVID-19.
Cuba is able to do all this because of its free and universalhealth system that radically improved the lives of millionsof Cubans, and produced the highest number of doctors perperson in the world. In Cuba there are nine doctors per1,000 citizens.
Cuba not only trains its own doctors, but hasalso trained more than 35,000 doctors from 138 countries,including our own. This health system capacity makes Cuba to confront the crisis better than any nation in the world.
In the words of Che Guevara: “The life of a single humanbeing is worthb a million times more than all the property ofthe richest man on earth.”
Long live solidarity and internationalism!
Press Release issued on 26 April 2020 by Friends of Cuba South Africa(FOCUS)