By Hedelberto López Blanch

By Hedelberto López Blanch

The Trump ultra-right nationalist regime in the US has done the unspeakable by trying to eliminate the solidarity and humanitarian aid that the Cuban doctors have given to dozens of countries in the world. Washington, with its constant progression of extortions, euphemistically known as “sanctions” has tried to block the solidarity of Cuban public health, represented by thousands of health professionals, from reaching people who desperately need these services.

For several years now, in attempts to re-enforce the economic, commercial, and financial blockade maintained for the last 6 decades against Havana by the US., they have attempted to stop the Cuban missions that have worked in so many areas of the globe in order to bring relief to areas devastated by earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, epidemics, or the coronavirus, as we see now.

President Trump, government officials, and the ultra-right forces of the U.S., with the support of fascist regimes like that of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil,  have launched a persistent slanderous campaign against the men and women in white coats who bring health and life instead of the economic blockades, war and death brought by Washington to the whole world.

Last November Cuban UN representative Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla refuted the lies of this campaign before the 74th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.  “These are truly ridiculous accusations, such as slavery, human trafficking, and lack of professionalism, directed against the Cuban medical cooperative efforts which have benefitted 70 countries to date”, he said.

It is difficult and counterproductive to try to deny that Cuba has an impeccable record of international solidarity, based on the principle of sharing what one has, not what is left over.  With great nobility, professionalism, and altruism, more than 400,000 Cuban collaborators have completed missions in 164 countries, where they have gone to, saving the lives of thousands of people.  Furthermore, and as part of the humanist spirit of the Revolution, over 35,700 health professionals from 138 countries have been trained in Cuba free of charge.

Official statistics from the Ministry of Health show that in almost six decades of constant work, the Cuban doctors and other health workers have done 1,900,000,000 patient visits, with a monthly average of 5,000,000 patients. They have performed 14,000,000 surgeries, 4,000,000 deliveries, and have been responsible for saving 8,300,000 lives.

Currently Cuba has 29,455 health workers in 65 nations.  After the coronavirus pandemic, 18 countries where there was already a Cuban medical mission requested an increase number of these “human resources” and another six countries asked for, and received, Cuban medical missions for the first time.

The most recent aggressive move to block the achievements of the humanitarian work of the Cuban doctors has been the proposed law to sanction those countries that have contracted for Cuban medical missions, under the pretext that it involves them in human trafficking. The sponsors of this despicable plan are Republican senators Rick Scott, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz, all included in the club of the most reactionary ultra-right, hereditary enemies of the Cuban Revolution, and recipients of thousands of dollars from the National Rifle Association, responsible for many mass shootings in the U.S.

This decadent empire, that still tries to impose its commands on the world, has undertaken an arbitrary and despicable campaign to restrict the humanitarian health care aid that Cuban health professionals spread throughout the world. Many countries have already voiced their disagreement with this infamous project and in the end the United States will suffer another defeat such as the one that occurred in the most recent UN General Assembly vote on the blockade, in which 189 nations voted in favor of ending the blockade of Cuba.

In Cuba there is a popular saying, referring to when one person is bothered by what another does, “Salta porque le pique,” or that really hits a nerve. This is exactly what has happened with the busybodies of the U.S. regime, when they see what occurs as Cuban medical brigades carry out their praiseworthy missions to help huge numbers of people in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America.

Source: Cuba en Resumen,