Cuba cuts back on free assistance to region’s health sector

Cuba cuts back on free assistance to region's health sector

Monday, June 17, 2013



CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) — The St Lucia Government says several policy

changes taking place in Cuba will severely affect Havana's contribution

to the health sector of Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries.



Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony, who recently ended a week-long official

visit to Cuba where he held talks with President Raul Castro and other

senior government officials, said the changes have been brought about as

a result of the worsening global economic climate.



He said the changes will bring an end to Cuba's traditional support for

the regional health sector.

"Cuba which once provided doctors free of charge to the rest of the

world community, whether it be Africa, Latin America and even here in

the Caribbean has indicated that those services will no longer be for free.

"The Cuban Government has indicated that the export of these services

has now become critical and crucial to their economic survival and while

they are prepared to continue to make doctors available to the world,

their assistance will be at a cost," Anthony added.

Cuba has traditionally enjoyed close diplomatic relations with Caricom

and a number of Caribbean students have benefited from scholarships to

study in Havana.

Prime Minister Anthony noted that there was a time when as many as 500

St Lucians were undergoing studies in Cuba, but the authorities there

have signalled that while we may continue to get scholarships, those

will be significantly reduced.

"We cannot now disagree with the decision of the Cuba Government; Cuba

has been too generous to us in the past for there to be any

disagreement," Anthony said, adding that in terms of assistance to St

Lucia, the cutback has already begun with 94 students now pursuing

higher education in Cuba.

"The St Lucia Government is grateful for the generosity of the Cuban

Government and there is no ill will towards the implementation of their

new policies.

"St Lucia cannot be an exception to imminent global change and is quite

aware of the economic challenges facing many countries," he added.



Source: "Cuba cuts back on free assistance to region's health sector -

News - JamaicaObserver.com" -

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Cuba-cuts-back-on-free-assistance-to-region-s-health-sector_14487764