The Cuban government places high priority on measures designed to address the country’s demographic dynamics, which reveal a decreasing birth rate and population ageing.
The most recent working meeting led by the President of the Councils of State and Ministers, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, was dedicated to the analysis of these complex issues, and saw the participation of Council of Ministers’ vice presidents, ministers and officials of the bodies that make up the government commission responsible for studying these matters.
The head of the Economic and Social Policy Guidelines Implementation and Development Standing Committee, Marino Murillo Jorge, reiterated that the main determining factors in this regard are the sustained low fertility rate, the increase in life expectancy at birth, and the negative net migration rate.
As he explained, at the end of 2017, in three provinces – Havana, Villa Clara and Sancti Spíritus – and in 55 municipalities, the population decreased naturally, as more deaths occurred than births. It is estimated that this trend will continue through the end of this year, he said.
It was recalled that in 2014, the Council of Ministers approved a policy aimed at encouraging more births, as well as meeting the needs of the increasingly growing population aged 60 years and older.
As a result of this governmental policy, measures have been adopted aimed at developing the network of services for infertile couples, and increasing their effectiveness in all provinces and municipalities.
The Cuban President insisted that more attention should be paid to this program, from the municipality to the national level, to further facilitate the process for couples in this situation.
In this regard, Public Health Minister, José Angel Portal Miranda, acknowledged that there are still areas which need to be improved, and work is ongoing in this regard.
Another of the measures addressed was to prioritize the delivery of subsidies to mothers with three or more children under 12 years of age, to purchase the necessary materials for the construction or repair of their homes.
President Díaz-Canel was interested in the situation regarding the layette offered to pregnant women, and stressed that this is a subject that should be viewed with the greatest sensitivity.
It is necessary to study alternatives to ensure that the layette continues evolving in quality, in its presentation, and in the designs it includes, he concluded.
(Granma)