“More than 35,000 professionals from 136 countries have been trained in our universities, and 8,478 from 121 nations are currently studying. The positive impact on the lives of millions of people in tens of thousands of communities in Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean is unquestionable,” Portal stressed.

The Minister emphasized that these achievements have been possible despite the unjust and cruel economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the U.S. government for almost 60 years, which is currently intensifying and constitutes the main obstacle to the country’s development. .

Despite this, he said, “Cuba reiterates its commitment to share its experiences in the development of primary health care, making available to the World Health Organization and its member states, cooperation programs, medical universities for the training of professionals and technicians, the products of the medical-pharmaceutical and biotechnological industry, as a way of contributing to universal health coverage for all.”

(Granma)

The welcoming ceremony included both officers paying tribute to Antonio Maceo and Francisco Gómez Toro at the Cacahual Mausoleum, a site that recalls Cuba’s independence struggle, and highlights the examples of its heroes as valuable weapons in the deconstruction of the ideological lies that imperialist forces launch against the peoples of the world.

López Miera stressed that many Chinese fought alongside Maceo, who left their mark due to their combative self-sacrifice and revolutionary convictions. According to an old adage from the Cuban independence wars, “There was never a Chinese man who was a traitor or a coward.”

Miao Hua expressed his gratitude for the welcome received, as well as the explanations about the history of Cuba’s independence struggles, and noted that the example of its heroes has for decades fueled the morale of the Chinese Red Army. “We are eager to work together in the political sphere and learn from your experiences regarding historical work,” he said.

The People’s Republic of China and Cuba maintain broad political and economic relations, rooted in the traditions of struggle of both nations, and in the victories achieved by their peoples, offering a lasting legacy for the new generations.

(Granma)

Awaiting us at the entrance to the giant thermoelectric plant, Planta Centro, the largest of its type in Venezuela, is Oraima Daniel Gómez, who answered our first question:

What is a Cuban women doing, so far from home, working in the arena facing the most sabotage, here in the land of Chávez?

“There are few women in the energy mission, but we make our presence known. The men respect us; they count on our professionalism and dedication to the job. We are part of a very hard-working team that has as its greatest strength, its light, that we are Cubans, and no one can take this away from us,” she replied.

Along the way, you have faced an enemy: sabotage…

“That’s right, the situation changed, but we continue the task. We have plenty of experience in Cuba with the enemy’s persecution, and here we act no differently: we continue focused on the mission and there is no doubt we will complete it,” Oraima insisted.

Engineer Leonardo Tundidor Grande described the plant for us: With its six units and a capacity of 2,600 megawatts, Planta Centro produces the equivalent of all the electricity generated in Cuba, and Unit 5 alone, which Cuban personell is helping to restore, supplies 400 megawatts more than any thermoelectric in Cuba, but U.S. sanctions have practically paralyzed the plant, and only Unit 6 is operating at 50% capacity.

“Maintenance work on Unit 5, which has been out of service for several years, is the biggest job the Electrical Union (UNE) has taken on outside of Cuba,” explained Tundidor, head of the Planta Centro-UNE Cuba project, “which includes 32 Cubans, mechanical, electrical, and automation professionals, plus operators,” he said.

Over the years, the unit suffered many breakdowns, and in April of 2010, Cuba accepted the task of repairing it, including its electrical components and auxiliary equipment. The contingent is now working on the turbine and the steam cauldron, which are almost ready.

“If all the financial resources are assured, within four months, the generator could be started up, and these 400 megawatts will be a big help, given the country’s situation,” Tundidor added.

For his part, Venezuelan engineer Carlos El Hara, his country’s coordinator for the Unit 5 project, recalled that the task of rehabilitating the generator was originally in the hands of the transnational corporation General Electric, and that in meetings with his colleague Tundidor, they agreed that they had the ability to do the work on their own, and the job began.

“It’s almost ready. The end of the month, we’ll begin the washing and blow-out of the cauldrons, with personnel already contracted. We are projecting the unit’s start-up in August, which will mean total stability in the northeastern system and give the entire electrical grid more stability,” he stated.

“As long as there are those who want to put your country in the dark, there are Cubans to defend the current,” I remind them.

“That’s excellent! Anyone who comes to help Venezuela is welcome. I know that, in the end, the work will succeed, and even better if is done among brothers and sisters,” the Venezuelan engineer added.

Fifty kilometers to the south of Planta Centro, another 13 professionals in from the Cuban energy mission continue their consulting work at the distributed generation plant in Guacara. The young Venezuelan operator María Marval says: “Since they arrived, they have been fundamental. Without their help, we wouldn’t be generating. They share their knowledge serenely. They have helped us a a great deal.”

Yojanner Cuevas Fernández from Guantanamo, the lead advisor here in Guacara, explained, “With the 95.2 megawatts generated here at Guacara and the 104.8 from Tucacas, in the state of Falcón, we have a 200 megawatt project that produces energy for the national electrical grid. This past November, technological responsibility was transferred to Venezuelan personnel, and a few Cubans remain to provide technical assistance and advice.”

“Since the sabotage at the Simón Bolívar hydroelectric plant, we have had to work in isolation, that is separated from the national electrical energy system and assume generation on the basis of a substation, for the residential sector in

Carabobo,” Cuevas continued.

- How do you deal with your work being targeted by the right and imperialism?

“It must be faced with political conviction and responsibility. This is a task that the homeland assigned us, on the initiative of Comandantes Fidel and Chávez, and we are giving it continuity.”

- How do you defend the people’s light and the Bolivarian Revolution?

“We suffer just like the Venezuelan people, and in our trench, generating electricity, we assume everything with commitment. We are going to maintain the stability and availability of the plant, continue to advise and train Venezuelans to leave them well prepared when the project ends. We are working very hard to ensure that light prevails.”

With 27 years of experience, Cuban operator Leonel Peña Batista confesses that he had never seen sabotage up close. His “professional enemies” were others. “The fight was tough, very hard, coming to the plant at eleven o’clock at night, one in the morning… through dark streets, to try to generate power for the hospital in Guacara, to push ahead alongside Venezuelans… the situation was difficult,” he says.“This has been a great experience,” Peña continued, “It helped me a lot. In Cuba I have faced hurricanes, but nothing like this. One always learns from new experiences. We triumphed and continue giving what we can to our brothers here.”- You defeated imperialism…“We won! All their sabotage, their war against Venezuela were defeated. They used snipers in El Guri, electromagnetic waves, viruses… we defeated all that. Imperialism was betting on a blackout; but we are committed to maintaining this Revolution’s energy,” the Cuban internationalist concludes.

(Granma)

The history of Cuban international collaboration is marked by adherence to ethical precepts established in our state’s conduct and positions. Our government does not interfere in the internal affairs of any country and respects national sovereignty and international law. The hundreds of thousands of compatriots who provide their services on five continents believe in, and abide by, these principles. Thus, strengthened by these beliefs, we work in the homeland of Bolívar and Chávez.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has welcomed the second largest number of internationalist Cubans, since January 1, 1959, surpassed only by the sister nation of Angola, which lived, worked, fought, and died with a great number of our sons and daughters. Venezuela is also the country in which Cuban collaborators participate in the widest range of sectors, including sports, culture, education, communications, agriculture, the food industry, science, energy, and transportation, among others.

With the popular victory and the arrival of Comandante Hugo Chávez Frías to the Presidency, the Bolivarian Revolution put human beings at the center of its work. For the first time, many marginalized and poor Venezuelans were treated like valued citizens, with access to social programs that the government implemented, backed by 73% of the GDP investment to benefit the majority.

Thus the social missions emerged, created and driven forward by Chávez as “the soul of the Revolution,” given their inclusive, popular, participative, democratic, human, solidary, and genuinely socialist nature.

Within this context, into the heart of the people and their revolution, came Cuban collaborators. Fidel delineated the fundamental principles of the cooperation: First of all: serve the Venezuelan people well, prepare those who will follow us, and care for our brigades. These premises have been, are, and will be what guides the Cuban presence in this sister country.

Misión Barrio Adentro Salud (Into the Neighborhood Health Mission) has had the greatest impact. Our collaborators are distributed in 24 states and 335 municipalities of the country. They live in all parishes and offer services in more than 1,500 facilities. They can be found on the steep hillsides, with the poor, and just as easily on the rolling hills where the rich and middle class bourgeois population lives.

HEARTS IN VENEZUELA

Everyone knows the reality in Venezuela; assistance is based on medical ethics.No one is asked about political affiliation or payment. They are people, patients, human beings … and that is enough to sensitize doctors trained in the values ​​of the Revolution, which speak for themselves, no inoculation is needed.

Examples abound in the daily work and at exceptional moments, such as those during the opposition thug violence (guarimbas) of 2017, or January 22-23 this year, and even more recently, on February 23, when those who suffered gunshots, blows, and even burns, both Chavistas and supporters of the opposition, were treated by Cubans at Comprehensive Diagnostic Centers, all with the same disposition and quality attention.

At these centers, after a clinical examination, the most direct, effective method of identifying an ailment, patients without distinction may undergo tests, receive treatment with medication, rehabilitation, or surgery, and, if necessary, specialized assistance in Cuba.

Supervision? Yes, it exists, but differs significantly in focus as compared to what the enemies of Cuba and Venezuela propose. As in any other part of the world, statistics are gathered, not in the mercantilist sense, but to evaluate the impact of treatment and preventative work on health and quality of life.

In the 18 years since Misión Barrio Adentro Salud was launched, 1.552 billion medical consultations have been provided, 1,473,317 lives saved, and 3,391,967 surgeries performed.

Among the 10,388 services offered are assistance to the disabled, orthodontics, ophthalmological treatments, and ongoing support for patients with chronic diseases like diabetes. In only ten years, 209,607 patients suffering from diabetic foot ulcers have been treated with HebertProt-P, a high-impact product of Cuban science, which has contributed to lowering amputations to 3% among those treated, while Venezuelan statistics show that 40 to 60% of patients who do not receive the Cuban product require amputation.

Something that distinguishes the work of the health system developed by the Bolivarian Revolution through the Barrio Adentro mission – first with Cuban doctors and now with the new generation of Venezuelan community doctors in the 13,617 popular clinics – is field work, door to door, with integrated teams and the participation of other community actors, not to seek votes or apply political pressure, but to practice social medicine, that which, from the soul, cures disease.

NO CUBAN AGENTS OR SOLDIERS

Grateful Cubans remain in Venezuela, voluntarily and with a high sense of courage and revolutionary integrity. Those who fulfill a solidary duty remain united with Venezuelans in the face of aggression and threats from imperialism and its lackeys. Only those who came looking for the good life have abandoned the cause. There are no Cuban agents or soldiers on Bolivarian soil, only collaborators who value peace, love, and life, who teach and learn every day.
As in Cuba and through Mission Robinson – a name taken from the pseudonym of Simón Bolívar’s teacher – 3,095,546 Venezuelans have learned to read and write, using in this lofty cause Cuba’s “Yes, I can” method.
We can affirm with certainty that the Venezuelan people are now more cultured and freer; thinking, reasoning, and deciding their own future, thanks to the social missions of Venezuela and Cuba.

Constitutional President Nicolás Maduro Moros has strengthened the Hugo Chávez Frías Missions and Great Socialist Missions System, reaffirming that they constitute a source of social, economic, and political power. Shoulder to shoulder, for peace and love, Cubans will always accompany you.

In context:
- No Cuban doctor denies service to a patient and much less risks the life of one to achieve political ends.
- Cuban international medical collaboration has existed for over 55 years and has a presence in 124 countries, with more than 400,000 health workers providing services.
- Since Cuban medical collaboration began in Venezuela, more than 140,000 health workers have participated, offering millions of medical consultations, while more than 24,000 Venezuelan community doctors have been trained.
- The Barrio Adentro I and II missions have brought health to the people, altruistically, as characterizes our professionals.
- Only those who support the coup from abroad would attempt to sully their honor.
- Cuban collaboration in Venezuela is an expression of the solidarity defended by Fidel and Chávez.
- More than 220,000 Cuban specialists from different sectors have served on Bolivarian soil over the years. This is the real Cuban army, not the one that coup leaders concoct.

During the encounter, both ratified the excellent state of bilateral relations between the two countries, highlighting the historic and fraternal ties which unite South Africa and Cuba. They also expressed mutual interest in strengthening and diversifying economic and trade relations and discussed a range of issues on the international agenda.

The distinguished visitor was accompanied by deputy ministers of International Relations and Cooperation; Basic Education; Heath; Natural Resources; Water and Sanitation; Planning, MonitoringandEvaluation and Trade and Industry, among other members of the delegation.

Participating on the Cuban side were Rogelio Sierra Díaz, deputy minister of Foreign Relations and Ángel Villa Hernández the Foreign Ministry’s director for Sub-Saharan Africa.

(Granma)

Ramaphosa who arrived on the island October 22, on an official visit to the country, inaugurated the Cuba-South Africa business forum.

He stated that “the encounter will contribute to broadening relations across areas of mutual benefit, as well as uncovering new spheres with the potential to improve the lives of our peoples.”

He also noted that the forum is an ideal occasion in which “to strengthen ties and expand relations in collaboration and trade,” adding that “Cuba is a good place to do business” and emphasized the potential for investment in both countries.

The Vice President also noted that no other country has contributed more to Africa than Cuba, and that for this reason South Africa will continue demanding the lifting of the U.S. blockade imposed on the island for over half a century.

According to the Vice President of Cuba’s Chamber of Commerce, Odalis Seijo, the forum is “a display of South African business people’s confidence.” Seijo also gave details on the next encounter which will take place during the Havana International Trade Fair next month.

(Granma)

Also secretary general of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, the President was received by Deputy Foreign Minister Rogelio Sierra at Havana’s José Martí International Airport.

During his stay, the leader will hold official talks with Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, President of the Councils of State and Ministers, in addition to other activities.

Cuba and Laos established diplomatic relations on November 1, 1974, and current ties are fraternal.

The Lao People’s Republic has historically supported Cuba’s UN resolution calling for an end to the U.S. blockade.

Cooperation between the two countries began in 1972 and has been focused primarily on education and healthcare. Some 23 Cuban medical professionals have worked in Laos, while 116 Laotian students have attended Cuban universities.

Also secretary general of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, the President was received by Deputy Foreign Minister Rogelio Sierra at Havana’s José Martí International Airport.

During his stay, the leader will hold official talks with Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, President of the Councils of State and Ministers, in addition to other activities.

Cuba and Laos established diplomatic relations on November 1, 1974, and current ties are fraternal.

The Lao People’s Republic has historically supported Cuba’s UN resolution calling for an end to the U.S. blockade.

Cooperation between the two countries began in 1972 and has been focused primarily on education and healthcare. Some 23 Cuban medical professionals have worked in Laos, while 116 Laotian students have attended Cuban universities.

(Granma)