Riyadh, November 24th - The Minister of Public Health of the Republic of Cuba, Dr. Jose Angel Portal Miranda, paid an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on November 22nd and 23rd, 2022, as part of a regional tour that also included visits to Algeria and Egypt, and will end in Qatar.
Upon his arrival at the airport, the Cuban minister was received by the Saudi Deputy Minister of Health for Human Resources, Mr. Abdulrahman A. Al-Aiban, the Ambassador of Cuba in Saudi Arabia, Vladimir Gonzalez Quesada, and the Head of the Cuban Medical Mission in the Arab nation, Dr. Suiberto Hechavarría Toledo.
The visit responded to an invitation extended by the Minister of Health of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mr. Fahad bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel, to his Cuban counterpart during the 75th World Health Assembly held last May in Geneva, Switzerland.
Immediately after its arrival in Riyadh, the Cuban delegation held a meeting at the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS), which was chaired by its Secretary General, Prof. Aws Al-Shamsan, and other officials at this institution, responsible for the institutional and programmatic accreditation of the sector in the Kingdom.
During the night, Dr. Portal Miranda exchanged personal and virtually with several Cuban health collaborators who are scattered throughout the Saudi geography in the fulfillment of their mission. The meeting became an excellent opportunity to learn directly about the experiences of these devoted professionals.
The working session between the two ministers took place on November 23rd, at the headquarters of the ministry located in the so-called Digital City. On the Saudi side, Deputy Minister Al-Aiban and the Secretary General of the SCFHS, Prof. Al-Shamsan were also present. On the Cuban side, the Minister was accompanied by the Director of International Relations of the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Nestor Marimon Torres, the Cuban ambassador and the head of the Medical Mission.
During the meeting, different aspects of the collaboration between Cuba and Saudi Arabia in the health field were discussed, with the purpose of expanding and strengthening it, based on the Executive Program for the Provision of Medical Services signed between the respective ministries in 2013.
Since the signing of this legal instrument to date, 637 Cuban health professionals have worked in the Kingdom, distributed in 34 cities of 11 Saudi regions and currently they have a bigger presence in Jizan and Bisha. These collaborators work in hospitals and primary health care clinics in remote places, including deserts, mountains and islands. (EmbaCuba Arabia Saudita)