Find below the English version of the the interview given by H. E. Ambassador Mrs. Caridad Yamira Cueto Milián to Woman.Bg in Sofia.
INTERVIEW WITH WOMAN.BG
Your Excellency,
1.In these stormy days amid a global pandemic, Cuba is one of the few countries that continues to send medical personnel around the world to provide medical help to more affected countries. Can we talk about "medical diplomacy" or just a manifestation of human empathy? Or for both?
The solidarity vocation of the Cuban people is deeply rooted in the history of our nation.
Cuba is a world leader in health solidarity, present with its doctors and paramedical in the most remote regions of poor countries, offering thousands of scholarships for medical students, giving medical and humanistic assistance to the most vulnerable sectors of the population in many nations all around the world.
This year marks the 57th anniversary of the beginning of Cuba's medical collaboration with the world. Since 1963 when the first Cuban medical brigade departure to Argelia, more than 420 000 Cuban health professional and workers have offered their services in 169 countries.
Today, in times of Covid-19 more than 2 000 Cuban medical professionals, organized into 28 medical brigades of the Henry Reeve International Contingent, are helping to combat the pandemic in 24 nations, including two countries from Europe (Italy and Malta).
In total, more than 28 000 health Cuban professionals are working in 59 nations affected by Covid-19. As result, more than 50 000 patients have been assisted by Cuban health professionals.
The “human empathy” of the Cuban people is evident and it’s well-recognized everywhere. Whenever the name of Cuba is mentioned, people return a smile, a gesture of thanks. This is due to the very character of the Cubans.
We proudly say that altruistic and humanistic medical help of Cuba is a “people-to people diplomacy”, a diplomacy of dignity and solidarity, and why not; a “human empathy diplomacy”.
2. How does a country like Cuba, define by such nations as “poor and less successful” prove so effective when it comes to international medical and humanitarian aid?
Without doubts, the coronavirus pandemic has placed the world between the solidarity of human beings and the miseries of a global order that was sick and dying. The powerful accuse this pandemic of its economic ills and take refuge in its selfishness.
But it has been shown that the virus knows no borders nor does it distinguish between "perfect" or "imperfect" democracies…
Let others promote hatred, wars and lies, silencing inconvenient facts. Cuba prefers to give an example in action, offering the best of our people's values, and continuing to serve around the world, tirelessly, in defense of life.
Cuba's medical cooperation model is in line with current international treaties, despite what the enemy campaigns organized against this cooperation proclaims.
The resilience of Cuba´s National Health System (SNS), its ability to prepare for and respond to emergencies and epidemic outbreaks, the presence of more than 35 000 Cuban health professionals in 67 countries, having graduated more than 35 000 doctors from more than 100 countries, Cuba's outstanding interventions in emergency situations such as the disease Ebola in West Africa in 2014, to name just a few examples, are elements that validate the success of the Cuban public health system.
Today, despite the growing economic blockade imposed by the current US Administration, Cuba has been able to focus its efforts on securing resources to combat the new coronavirus, as well as to treat other pathologies, and all this, guided by the conviction that solidarity and cooperation are the only ways to deal with the crisis caused by this pandemic.
3. What is the motivation that stays behind this solidarity?
Only in the intolerance of those who rage at the solidarity waste of a small island for the world, can the absurd and false campaign of discredit that Cuban enemies pay for and encourage be explained.
The humanistic substrate and dimension of Cuba´s solidarity with the world, even with the peoples of countries that have been aggressive to our own people are beyond questions. History has proven it.
Cuba reaffirms that these are times of solidarity and of understanding health as a right and not a commodity.
4. Cuba’s overseas medical assistance program has been around for decades. Can you tell us more about it?
Facing a severe economic, financial and commercial blockade imposed by the US against Cuba in the last six decades, our country has managed to mobilize the strengths of its economy based on the country's priorities. Free medical care and free universal education are the achievements that Cuba decided to preserve and has preserved until today.
Despite the scarcity of economic resources, Cuba dedicates around 27% of the country's GDP to public health. With a life expectancy at birth of 79.7 years in 2019, infant mortality of 4.0 per 1,000 live births, the elimination of 11 immune-preventable diseases and malaria in the early 1970s and, more recently, having been the first country in the world to certify the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV / AIDS and congenital syphilis, Cuba constitutes a case study of high interest to all.
In recent years, Cuba has trained more than 60 000 doctors. In 2020, 35 000 Cuban medical professionals are on missions in 67 countries, especially in countries of Africa and Latin America.
Cuba´s overseas medical assistance program encounters recognition on the part of millions of people of the world.
5. How has Cuba accelerated its overseas medical assistance program during the coronavirus pandemic? What kind of impact are Cuban doctors having in affected countries?
Through tremendous effort and sacrifice, under the severe US blockade that has been exacerbated in the circumstances of Covid-19, and in times of Covid-19 in particular, Cuba has been able to keep in place its universal and free public health system, supported by highly-qualified and dedicated professionals who enjoy world prestige, in spite of the crude and slanderous campaigns by powerful adversaries.
In recent weeks, Cuba has sent 28 medical brigades, composed by more than 2 000 medical professionals from the Internationalist Contingent Specialized in Disaster Situations and Serious Pandemics "Henry Reeve" to fight Covid-19in 24 countries around the world, 2 of them from Europe.
Responding to requests for medical assistance received from dozens of States and international organizations, the Cuban doctors, named after "army in white coats" are recognized as the "secret weapon" against the coronavirus, after having successfully fought the dreaded Ebola in 2014, with more than 460 doctors and nurses, 165 of them working on behalf of the Organization World Health in West Africa.
6. What are the strengths and competitive advantages of Cuban pharmacy? We know that at the beginning of the pandemic in China, a Cuban drug has been used to fight the coronavirus. Does Cuba develop a vaccine as well?
Cuban medicines undoubtedly enjoy worldwide prestige and recognition.
BioCubaFarma, founded in 2012, and made up of 30 companies, manufactures and distributes more than 1,000 products, including 482 drugs named in the basic list of drugs in Cuba. Its products are exported to more than 50 countries. It carries out 102 projects, of which 75 have a Cuban patent. Products from biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry are among the main exportable items in Cuba. Among its most recognized medications is Heberprot-P, a successful therapy to treat diabetic foot ulcers registered in more than 20 countries. It also highlights the CIMAVAX-EGF vaccine against lung cancer and Heberferon for the treatment of skin cancer, as well as vaccines against hepatitis B and meningitis, and the antiviral recombinant Interferon alfa 2B (IFNrec), which is among the drugs chosen by China to treat the coronavirus COVID-19.
Cuban scientists are working on several new drugs against cancer and other diseases such as cardiovascular and rheumatoid arthritis.
BioCubaFarma currently provides quiet a number of medicaments for Cuba’s Covid-19 treatment protocol. At the beginning, 22 medicines were identified, several anti-viral, primarily Interferon, and an important group of drugs for hospital use with patients in different phases, including those in serious and critical condition. We currently have stocks of these for thousands of patients and continue to expand production capacity.
Today, what is needed is continuing to live this epidemic, continuing to contain transmissions in order to manage the situation until a specific preventive vaccine is developed. Reports indicate that work is underway on 60 vaccine candidates worldwide and human trials have begun for two.
Cuban pharmaceutical industry is focused on developing specific preventive vaccines for this virus, as well. Four candidates have being designed and we are working to begin testing them in animal models as soon as possible.
BioCubaFarma is working on the development of diagnostic systems. The pcr test, as it is known, (Polymerase Chain Reaction) in real time is the key to confirming cases of the virus. Rapid diagnostic systems have been developed to measure antibodies, which are produced when an infection occurs.
BioCubaFarma is working on the development of an Elisa (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) system based on our Ultramicro-Analytic System (SUMA) technology, which should be available in the coming weeks. It is really a challenge to have the system set up and tested in such a short time, but we are working hard to achieve this.
7. How is Cuba handling its own coronavirus outbreak?
The achievements of Cuba in times of coronavirus are due to the Revolution, which for decades has supported with great sacrifices a system of Public Health, universal, free and accessible to 100% of the Cuban population, whose center is the human being and not capital.
Although this battle is still to be won, Cuba has managed to remain in a favorable scenario in the fight against the pandemic. Our biopharmaceutical industry and other scientific centers are currently developing 70 clinical investigations and trials, in addition to medicines for the treatment of this disease, requested by dozens of nations.
As for today, 12 new cases were confirmed, for a total of 2,119 in the country. 1,839 recovered patients. The 12 confirmed cases were Cuban. 58 58.3% (7) of the positive cases were asymptomatic. Another 1 955 people are monitored in their homes, from the Primary Health Care. To date 83 deaths are reported.
One positive aspect of the battle of Cuba against Covid-19 has been the use of previously developed medicines adapted for use in the current context. Such is the case of Biomodulin-T, which was first administered broadly to older adults residing in long-term care institutions. This drug has been relevant as part of the strategy designed in the country for preventive interventions and early treatment for the elderly.
Since the beginning of the epidemic she said, the main efforts have been directed toward protecting the vulnerable population, particularly those living in nursing homes, which generally experience deterioration of their immune systems, due to aging, and have associated chronic diseases or comorbidity.
In attempt to gain time in efforts to control the virus on the island, the administration of Biomodulin-T began in all of Havana's nursing homes. The project was progressively extended to all other provinces and the Isle of Youth special municipality, by the 14th.
The unquestionable success of implementing this protocol allowed our elderly population to fare much better that their peers in the rest of the world, noting that no institutionalized elderly person, treated preventively with Biomodulin-T, has fallen ill with Covid-19.
Since the beginning of the epidemic in Cuba, children constitute 10 to 12% of the total number of patients. These figures, although above the world average, are very much related to active searches, monitoring, and testing of contacts.
The effectiveness of pharmacological treatment protocols followed with the pediatric population, which includes the use of interferon, was also highlighted.
The battle against Covid-19 requires everyone's participation. Self-responsibility, citizen awareness and our ability to cooperate are essential. We cannot neglect any of the measures aimed at avoiding the transmission of the disease.
8. Does the increased number of doctors overseas raise any concerns about the Cuban health system’s capacity to respond to a spike in cases on the island?
In Cuba, the right to health is not merely a constitutional but a truly public and sacred right. Since January 1, 1959, when the Cuban Revolution triumphed, until last year, 376,608 health professionals have been trained, of them 171,362 doctors.
In recent years, Cuba has trained more than 60,000 doctors. Inside the island, the Public Health System which is accessible to the entire Cuban population is at no risk, but the one posed by the severe and genocide impact of the US blockade and its extraterritorial effects.
The blockade imposes on Cuba a harsh reality: 7 out of 10 Cubans have been born and lived under the blockade.
In six decades, the blockade has caused losses in the order of 933 thousand 678 million dollars.
The annual cost of the blockade in 2019 was more than 4,321 million dollars. This represents for Cuba about double what is necessary for the total development of its economy.
Public health and food are the two most affected sectors. Public health reports losses of 2,711,600,000 dollars.
These figures do not contemplate the actual damage to the comprehensiveness of human health, including the psychological impact of the blockade, which by its nature could never be calculated.
9. Can you wish something to the medics in Cuba and the medics around the world?
Silence reins in the media of many countries as Cuba defeats the Covid-19 virus, blow by blow, sparing no effort or resource, despite the ironclad U.S. blockade that persists, damages, limits and makes everything more expensive.
Amidst this relentless struggle for our people, Cuba will also share with those in need beyond our borders.
We wish all medics in Cuba and the medics around the world good health, optimism and strength!
We call all of them to join Cuba in our appeal to globalize solidarity!
We also call all men and women of good will around the world to join the ongoing international camping, which has been supported already by more than 70 European organizations of friendship and solidarity with Cuba, and that advocates for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize 2020 to Cuban medical brigades of the Cuban International Contingent Henry Reeve.
To join the international campaign signatures can be send to: https://theinternationalcommittee.org/nobel-peace-prize-2020/
10. Your Excellency, how do you feel in the conditions of self-isolation? Can a senior diplomat isolate himself from the world? How do diplomats work from home?
The unprecedented dynamics of social distancing and extreme anti-epidemic measures imposed by the Covid-19 have forced us and all to reinvent ourselves as social beings, which cannot live in captivity for long.
Perhaps in conditions of self-isolation, we have been not isolated from our main tasks and endeavors as Cuban diplomats. On the contrary…! We have been more active than never before, because this is a sine qua non if we want to be successful in confronting, at these particular times, not only the pandemic but also of “fake-news” and “post-truth” that attempt against the best human values.
As Cuban diplomats we continue advocating and defending the truths of Cuba, in its double battle against Covid-19 and against the genocide and obsolete US blockade.
As human beings, we continue to believe that a better world is possible. And we will continue to fight for it!
Thank you very much.