The cooperation of Cuba and Brazil in the strengthening of the national health system in Haiti, as part of the Tripartite Commission is well under way, one year after the signing of agreements has declared Dr Carlos Felipe Almeida Oliveira, Cuban Coordinator of the Project at the Ministry of Health.

The Brazilian representative met this week with Dr. Lorenzo Somarriba, Head of the Cuban medical mission in Haiti, as part of the Management Group of the Tripartite Commission for the implementation of agreements during a meeting in the Embassy of Brazil in Petion-Ville (east of Port-au-Prince).

Dr. Almeida Oliveira described this cooperation in the health field to another nation as a priority for the government of President Dilma Rousseff. Underlining the political will of Havana and Brasilia on this plan, he indicated that the Brazilian Congress had approved a donation of $ 80 million for 2011 in various projects, including the construction, with the help of Cuba, of four community hospitals of reference to Carrefour, Bon Repos, Tabarre and Croix des Bouquets.

Moreover, this amount will allow also the purchase of 30 ambulances for the Haitian health system, vaccines and supplies to support the national immunization program and the two-year training of 2,000 local community health workers, an experience successfully applied in Brazil.

In addition to having previously received funds, for the fight against cholera in Haiti, Dr Carlos Felipe Almeida Oliveira has praised the work of the Cuban medical brigade which, to date, has saved the lives of 69.639 Haitians infected by the cholera. Underlining the very low mortality rate in health center run by Cuban doctors in Haiti (0.39%).

HL/ HaitiLibre