CubaMinrex. Sitio del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba

Statement by Dr. Luis Estruch Rancaño, Vice-Minister of Health of the Republic of Cuba, at the plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly New York, 10 june 2008

Mr. President

Mr. Secretary-General

Distinguished Delegations,

Seven years have passed since we first met at this Assembly to address this issue.

No country has escaped the suffering of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and today, despite the progress pointed out in the report of the Secretary-General, the world faces increasing poverty; the effects of climatic change are more evident; we bear witness to a worldwide food crisis and the pandemic spreads mainly in countries with adverse economic and social conditions, and within them, among the most vulnerable population groups who live in destitution and marginality, which represent the majority of the population affected by the pandemic.

Cuba considers that the enjoyment at the highest possible level of physical and mental health is a basic human right, and in consequence, it grants high importance to the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria at all levels and in all parts of the world, and strongly supports the need to guarantee treatment and universal access to medicines and medical technology necessary to tackle these scourges and to the development of a health care system in the communities for all affected and ill people, without discrimination of any kind.

My country has demonstrated a high political commitment in its response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The priority that the State gives to the population’s health, the peculiarities of the national health system characterized by Universality, Free Care and Accessibility, as well as the society organized in community grassroots with tradition in social work and participation of all factors of civil society.

The Cuban Programme for HIV/AIDS prevention and control, with a multi-sectorial character has been implemented since 1986. It guarantees access to services to 100% of the population and carries out educational, monitoring and investigation interventions, antiretroviral treatment to everyone who needs it and care and support for HIV/AIDS patients, including aspects such as the right to employment, full salary, differentiated nourishment and social and political rights with free access to medicines and medical services.

Cuba is subject to a tight economic, commercial and financial blockade by the USA, with unfortunate consequences for the Cuban people’s health, yet it is addressing the pandemic in a positive manner.

The prevalence of HIV in the 15 to 49 years of age population is 0.1%. Mortality has been reduced in more than 50% and the number of patients has decreased in 42%. Since the outset of the epidemic, 22 years ago, there have been only 32 cases of mother-to-child contagion of HIV (1 to 3 per year) and the programme of attention to the mother and the child reaches out 100% of Cuban women in childbearing age. Progress has been made in matters of HIV prevention fulfilling the commitment to reduce HIV prevalence in youth aged 15 to 24 from 0.07% to 0.05% and the increase of more than 90% of youths with access to information.

Analyzing another aspect of MDG No. 6, I avail myself to point out that in my country, malaria was eradicated in 1967 and the WHO delivered the accrediting certificate in 1973. It remains eradicated ever since. Incidence of TB is 6.6 per 100 000 inhabitants and in 2004, we received the WHO award for meeting the goals set for 2005 of detection and treatment through the STOP TB Secretary.

Cuba does not have great financial resources, yet it participates, both with it heart and in a real and authentic manner, in the comprehensive health programmes and in TB ad HIV/AIDS programmes in 6 main directions in 78 countries.

1. More than 25 000 students from Third-World countries study medicine in Cuba, basically from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

2. More than 35 000 doctors and other health personnel working in the area of primary health care and in TB and HIV/AIDS programmes are distributed in far-off places in 78 countries.

3. Cuba participates, with doctors and professors in training doctors right at the communities of 12 countries and post-grad programmes in 30 countries.

4. Cuba’s Institute of Tropical Medicine is a centre of reference in the Third World for Malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB.

5. Moreover, Cuba has bilateral agreements with numerous countries and oversees programmes of fight against communicable diseases and develops a new vaccine against Cholera and the Anti-meningitis A-C vaccine for African countries and other medicines and diagnosis systems in different countries and health programmes.

I consider that the estimated financing to tackle the epidemic in the world in the next years is necessary and still insufficient, taking into account that it is required to educate the population in aspects of prevention and promotion of healthy life styles, to guarantee free antiretroviral treatment and create the health infrastructure to carry out these actions, and to increase researches to find more effective medicines and a vaccine, and to improve health care and access to health services.

I’d like to finish my address by recalling what the Cuban delegation expressed in this Assembly in 2001:

“The only possible cure is to put the infinite resources of the planet at the service of humanity, without mean commercial interests or national selfishness. It is our responsibility to achieve it”.

Unity, dignity and rational and supportive integration constitute the only way to address the common challenges of a globalized, unequal and excluding world, which threatens us all and demonstrates the need for a globalization of cooperation and solidarity wherein Cuba contributes its best experiences and training of human resources in a supportive manner.

Thank you very much.

 

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