(3 minutes read)
· US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized South Africa and
Qatar for accepting doctors from Cuba to battle the coronavirus
· Cuba is known for its forte in healthcare. However,
Washington has an adversarial relationship with the Island country.
Of late, former US president Barack Obama sought to reconcile with
Cuba, calling the isolation policy a failure: He also discouraged
the US policy of inducing the Cuban doctors to defect to the US
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized South Africa and Qatar
for accepting doctors from Cuba to battle the coronavirus. While doing
so, the US has accused the communist island of profiting from the
pandemic, which many analysts feel, is uncharitable since Cuba’s
doctors have long been recognized for their expertise. But the US
insists that the doctors are being exploited by the Cuban government
and urges them to defect.
In no uncertain terms ,Pompeo lamented the Cuban government saying
that “We’ve noticed how the regime in Havana has taken advantage of
the Covid-19 pandemic to continue its exploitation of Cuban medical
workers.”
South Africa and Qatar, have friendly relations with the United
States. Recently, 217 Cuban doctors have arrived in South Africa,
which has the highest number of coronavirus infections in Africa. Cuba
has sent doctors to more than a dozen countries during the Covid-19
pandemic, including hard-hit Italy. France has also authorized Cuban
teams to help in its overseas territories.
Cuba is known for its forte in healthcare. However, Washington has an
adversarial relationship with the Island country. Of late, former US
president Barack Obama sought to reconcile with Cuba, calling the
isolation policy a failure, He also discouraged the US policy of
inducing the Cuban doctors to defect to the US.
President Donald Trump’s administration is characterized by its
bitter animosity towards Cuba and imposed visa restrictions on Cuban
officials involved in medical missions. In 2018, according to Cuban
authorities, the country earned US$6.3 billion from its medical
dispatches and used the proceeds to finance its own universal
healthcare coverage.
