Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, began his remarks with a condemnation of the United States which has attempted to discredit and sabotage Cuba’s medical cooperation, based on ethical and humanistic principles, an example of South-South cooperation, and that has helped countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa and Asia to improve health coverage and provide medical care in remote areas.

In attacking Cuban medical cooperation, the U.S. not only attacks Cuba, but also undermines the real possibilities of many developing countries to achieve universal health coverage; honor the human right to health; and meet Sustainable Development Objectives, Rodriguez stated.

The Minister went on to emphasize that the Cuban experience shows that, when there is sufficient political will, it is possible to construct a unitary, free, and universally accessible public health system.