July 23, 2023.
Miguel Diaz Canel, photo: Bill Hackwell
The leadership of Cuba has defended once again the altruism of its medical missions outside its borders, in the face of attacks from the United States.
“Cuba’s international cooperation continues to develop as a legitimate and altruistic activity that we maintain despite the dirty campaign of the United States,” said Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel.
The president made this statement at the Havana Convention Palace, during the closing of the 10th Legislature of the National Assembly of People’s Power, making clear that the purpose of the attacks against Cuba is to “deprive thousands of people in the world of the medical and quality services” offered by Cuban doctors.
Previously, the Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodriguez, defended against a charge of the U.S. Government that “allocates millionaire funds to promote a campaign against medical collaboration”.
“Without arguments, (the United States) resorts once again to slander to discredit Cuba’s noble humanitarian and solidarity work in support of the health of other peoples,” the foreign minister said on Twitter.
Rodriguez added on through social network that the neighboring country thus tries to “continue depriving Cuba of sources of economic income and encourages the theft of medical personnel trained by our country, with clearly subversive purposes”.
He went on to say that “totally legitimate” the medical collaboration programs that the island maintains in many countries are totally legitimate, while stressing that Washington commits a crime when it tries to deny or hinder them with political motives”.
Official data puts the number of Cubans currently working in the health sector of 56 countries numbering a total 23,792 medical personnel.
The U.S. State Department considers that the missions of Cuban doctors abroad are “an indisputable case of forced labor” and under that argument, last June 15 announced that it kept Cuba on its “black list” of countries that do not comply with the minimum standards to fight human trafficking.