Havana, Cuba, 25 April 2018 (PAHO) - The recently-appointed President of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel, met on Monday with Carissa F. Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), and Cristian Morales Furihmann, PAHO/WHO representative in Cuba. The meeting took place immediately following the opening ceremony of the III International Cuba Salud 2018 Convention, which was the President's first public appearance.
During the meeting, the Cuban President confirmed that the island will continue to collaborate with PAHO and WHO, a commitment ratified the next day the signing of the country's new partnership strategy 2018-2022. The strategy is based on five fundamental goals: More health care, more efficiency, more intersectoral action, more resilience and more Cuba in the global health agenda.
Prior to the meeting, Diaz-Canal listened attentively to the speeches of Dr. Etienne, Dr. Tedros and the Cuban Minister of Health, Roberto Morales Ojeda, who was last week appointed as one of the five vice-presidents of the State Council.
After congratulating Diaz-Canel for his election, the Directors of WHO and PAHO highlighted the benefits of the Cuban health care model and the importance of both regional and global collaboration with Cuba. They also emphasized the commitment of both organizations to continue working with Cuba for the benefit of public health.
The Minister of Health, Morales Ojeda and the undersecretary of the Cuban Socialist Party's Central Committee, José Ramón Machado Ventura, among others.
