Havana, Nov 15 (Prensa Latina) President Miguel Diaz-Canel has rated the work of Cuban doctors in Brazil as dignified, professional and altruistic, after Havana announced Wednesday it will no longer participate in the More Doctors for Brazil Program. The Cuban Health Ministry announced Wednesday it will no longer go ahead with the More Doctors for Brazil Program, following harsh conditioning Bolsonaro said it would enforce on the Cuban doctors.
In a release, the Ministry adds its decision was first conveyed to the director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Brazilian political leaders that founded and defended the health initiative that provided medical care to Brazilians particularly low income and poor people, even in jungle areas.
It stresses Bolsonaro had made contemptuous, threatening remarks to the presence of Cuban doctors and insisted he would changed the terms and conditions of the Program in open disrespect to PAHO and its agreement with Cuba.
The Health Ministry further rejected the president-elect's questioning of the doctors' professionalism and conditioning their work in Brazil to revalidating their medical degree.
Such conditions are unacceptable and ignore the warranties agreed upon since the start of the Program, which were ratified in 2016 by PAHO, the Health Ministry of Brazil and the Cooperation Agreement between PAHO and the Cuban Public Health Ministry, the release states.
It recalls the initiative that was first launched by then President Dilma Rousseff in 2013 guaranteed medical care to a broad section of the Brazilian population, in tune with PAHO's principle of universal health coverage.