The government of the Republic of Ecuador has reported the decision to terminate, and not renew, six collaboration agreements signed with the Cuban Ministry of Public Health. Cuban medical cooperation in Ecuador began in 1992. In June of 2006, a cooperation agreement was signed for the launching of “Operation Miracle,” with the participation of 153 professional collaborators. Through this program 168,543 surgeries were performed, including 4,609 to remove cataracts, and 118,575 for pterygium.In January of 2009, on the occasion of an official visit by then President Rafael Correa Delgado, the Framework Agreement on Cooperation in Health between the two governments was signed.
On June 11 of the same year, the Inter-institutional Cooperation Agreement was signed by then Ecuadorian Vice President Lenín Moreno Garcés and the Ministry of Public Health of Cuba, for the realization of a psycho-social, pedagogical, and clinical genetic study of people with disabilities, known as the Manuela Espejo Solidarity Mission. Through this program, 825,576 persons were assisted, of whom 35,257 were provided neurophysiology or otolaryngology consultations. Some 21,062 patients underwent clinical genetics studies.
In 2013, a contract was signed with the Ecuadorian Social Security Institute (IESS) through which 293 Cuban doctors of different specialties provided medical assistance in 52 of this Institute’s units.
Cuba has provided assistance in emergencies and disasters in Ecuador: in 1986 due to heavy rains, in 2001 due to a dengue epidemic, and to assist victims of the earthquake that occurred on April 16, 2016.
Since the beginning of Cuba’s medical collaboration in this country to date, a total of 3,565 health professionals have provided their services in Ecuador. Some 6,749,666 medical consultations have been provided, 212,360 surgical interventions, 3,548 births assisted, and 100,084 vaccinations administered.
At all times, Cuban health professionals have faithfully performed the role entrusted to them by Ecuador’s health system, in strict compliance with the signed agreements stipulations.
Recent campaigns by the U.S. government to discredit and sabotage the international cooperation that Cuba provides in the field of health in dozens of countries, cannot obscure this data, that demonstrate the altruistic spirit, effort, and solidarity of Cuban collaborators.
Currently, the medical brigade in Ecuador includes 382 professionals, present in 23 of the country’s 24 provinces.
Cuban collaborators will return to the homeland, having made a meritorious contribution to the noble effort to ensure medical attention to the Ecuadorian people, in accordance with the principle of universal health coverage promoted by the World Health Organization. Cuban professionals provided access to specialties which were previously of limited availability within the Ecuadorian health system, as more than 400,000 professionals in this sector have voluntarily done in 164 countries, since 1963.
The Ministry of Public Health of the Republic of Cuba reaffirms the desire to continue providing collaboration for this sister people, which ceases at this time as a result of a decision by the Ecuadorian government.
The peoples of Our America and the rest of the world know they can always count on the humanist and solidarity vocation of Cuban professionals.
(Ministry of Public Health)