MEXICO CITY, Dec 30 (NNN-PRENSA LATINA) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador thanked his Cuban colleague Miguel Díaz-Canel very much for the island’s support by sending doctors to strengthen the new national public health system.
In his morning press conference at the National Palace, in which he denied the shortage of medicines in public hospitals, he said that fortunately they are improving with the hiring of doctors from other countries and making calls to have all the ones we need.
He proclaimed that Cuba has helped them a lot “and we thank the Cuban people from the bottom of our hearts when we spoke with President Díaz-Canel the day before yesterday for having sent us 500 specialists and we continue advancing to have all the ones we need.”
He explained that there were almost no consultations needed by patients because they lacked the specialists they required.
For this reason, we are so grateful to Cuba and we endorse our friendship with that people, as well as with other countries such as Belize, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, which unfortunately is now going through a difficult situation, and Brazil, where Beatriz, my wife, will represent me at the assumption of Lula as President, whose election is a blessing for that people.
By denying the new campaign of the opposition and media hostile to his government, he confirmed that all the necessary medicines for 2023 and 2024 for health centers and hospitals have already been acquired, something that he was spoiled by corruption.
He recalled that before, only 13 companies that did not even have laboratories were the only ones that could buy abroad what they decided, and not because of necessity, and they spent 160 billion pesos (more than eight billion dollars) each year, but since they have run out of money, they are the ones who organize and finance campaigns like those that say there are no medicines or that the ones we buy are ineffective.
A constitutional reform had to be made to eliminate this privilege and enormous corruption that cost the people so dearly, but it was done and the Government can now buy abroad without intermediaries and an agreement was made with the UN in this regard.
Now we seek to improve and make the distribution more effective, especially in what is called the last mile, which is the entrance of the medication to each center and hospital, he said.
Therefore, he said, we hope that by the middle of next year we will already have a healthcare system of the highest quality in the world. equal to or better than that of Denmark, and we are going to fulfill that commitment because we are making good progress facing obstacles such as repairing and equipping hospitals and having general practitioners and specialists.
Meanwhile, a group of 50 Cuban doctors will provide assistance in CALABRIA, SOUTHERN ITALY, sources from the Cuban Ministry of Public Health said.
On Facebook, Calabria President Roberto Occhiuto reported the doctors’ arrivals in Italy and said that they will help keep the wards and hospitals of this region open.
He added that they will start the course at the University of Calabria on Jan 2 and as soon as they are ready they will start working at Calabrian hospitals.
Occhiuto pointed out that Calabria seeks to guarantee its tools for healththe care of citizens, in the face of a health emergency.
In 2020, Cuban brigades from the Henry Reeve Medical Contingent assisted the regions of Crema and Turin, in Italy, during the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Due to their outstanding work, the health personnel received multiple prizes and were considered an example of the humane principle of Cuban medicine. — NNN-PRENSA LATINA
