Today the world faces a great danger called Covid-19. This microscopic virus has affected almost every country in the world, has infected more than a million human beings and has killed more than 50,000 of them.
So, many of us wonder, why is this situation out of control? What has been the response of our governments and health authorities? This crisis will be a warning call to humanity to reflect on the course we are taking.
The response of many governments has been inefficient and delayed. The neo-liberal model, prevalent in today’s world, has meant the privatization of hospitals and has turned medical care into a lucrative business.
The State, as a political organization in the neo-liberal model, is unable to offer solutions to this humanitarian crisis because it is at the mercy of the interests of a minority sector that is only interested in wealth.
The right to health must be, today more than ever, a fundamental human right, and no human being should be deprived of it.
Today, information from countries like the United States forecast between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths. And this is the most powerful country in the world, with its modern weapons and all its destructive capacity, but incapable of guaranteeing all its citizens the necessary medical assistance, not to mention the millions of illegal immigrants who are the preferred target of the racist discourse of Donald Trump.
Given this situation, Cuba has taken the necessary measures to contain the spread of the virus. The borders have been closed for 30 days, Cubans who are returning from abroad are quarantined in hospitals for 14 days, doctors and medical students visit all communities daily to look for possible cases, schools are closed for 30 days as a measure prevention, etc. In Cuba there is a public health care system that guarantees free access to its citizens, and preventive and primary care has been the key to reducing infections in the country.
Covid-19 is a global pandemic, and the response must also be global. For this reason, Cuba has decided to support countries such as Andorra, Italy, Suriname, Venezuela, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominica, Belize, etc. with medical personnel. In addition, the Cuban people and government welcomed the passengers of the English cruise ship MS Braemar, who were in danger due to an outbreak of coronavirus on the high seas and they had nowhere to disembark, so Cuba helped the 682 passengers, 668 from the ‘United Kingdom’,to return to their country safely.
No one knows when the Covid-19 crisis will end, but experiences must be useful to build the world of tomorrow, without selfishness and where justice and human dignity prevail.
– Frank González.
Frank Fernando González Herrera is a Bachelor of International Relations at the Diplomatic College of Cuba ‘Raúl Roa Garcia’.
