Havana, December 18 (RHC)— The Deputy Director for U.S. Affairs at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Johana Tablada, blasted on Wednesday the latest maneuver orchestrated by the OAS under the leadership of its Secretary-General, Luis Almagro, in support of the current U.S. smear campaign against the Caribbean island's international medical cooperation.
In an interview with Radio Havana Cuba, Tablada alluded to a conference held Wednesday at the OAS headquarters in Washington to slander the island's medical assistance to Third World nations.
Referring to Almagro's contempt for the needs of the peoples of Latin America, the diplomat said he is always willing to accommodate the orders that he receives from the government of President Trump.
She noted that the current anti-Cuban stance by the U.S. government has no antecedents and that the White House has crossed all the red lines of decency.
"They know very well what the real impact of Cuban medical aid all over the world is. It is very shameful that instead of helping out other countries to improve their medical and health indicators, they would go against one of the few countries that does."
From earthquake-stricken Haiti to the Ebola-affected countries in Central Africa, Cuban doctors have taken care of millions of people and saved the lives of hundreds of thousands in the most remote places on Earth.
Tablada issued a call to the international community to condemn this U.S. behavior against Cuban medical assistance, which is having a considerable impact on destitute populations.
The Deputy Director for U.S. Affairs at the Cuban Foreign added that Cuban cooperation abroad follows the principles of the voluntary decision of individuals that would like to go out and serve. "It is conducted within the framework of South-South cooperation, under the guidance of the World Health Organization, and the Pan-American Health Organization," she stressed.
After totally rejecting that the Cuban doctors are "slaves," Tablada recalled that their salaries are paid in full to their relatives on the island. They receive all the resources to live appropriately in the countries they work in. They do get part of the wage paid by countries from which Cuba receives monetary compensation, while other nations cannot afford to pay for the assistance.
She added that part of the money that the island gets from that assistance goes to the Cuban Medical Health Care system. While only 5 Latin American countries dedicate more than 6% of its GDP to healthcare, in 2019, Cuba devoted more than half of its GDP to healthcare and education.
"Cuba's healthcare system could teach the U.S. a lot, with its 87 million people uninsured. Instead of diverting its efforts towards Cuba, and Third World countries, they should be taking care of their own business," she said.
In concluding, the Cuban diplomat recalled that some 400 thousand Cuban medical personnel have worked around the world since the 1960s to date. "They will continue to do so because, as Fidel said, that's the way to pay our debt with humanity."
