Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Cuba's Minister of Foreign Affairs, emphasized this Thursday that the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States leads to limitations on access to medications in the Caribbean nation, recently acknowledged by President Donald Trump.
On the social media platform X, the Foreign Minister shared a snippet from his interview with CNN en Español, where he discussed the impact of Washington's hostile policy on the healthcare of the Cuban population.
https://x.com/BrunoRguezP/status/1973738819255148677?t=4Aa0AK0GamsHiu_2iaY_7g&s=19
"In an interview with @CNNEE, I explained that the president of the U.S. recognizes that the way his country conducts itself with #Cuba prevents the Cuban economy from securing the necessary resources to provide medications to the entire population," wrote the Minister.
This statement refers to recent remarks made by the U.S. president, who claimed that in Cuba "they don't have money for Tylenol (paracetamol)."
In the interview, Rodríguez Parrilla explained that the blockade includes a prohibition on sending medications and medical equipment to Cuba, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic when the U.S. refused to supply ventilators and medical oxygen through subsidiary companies.
"The U.S. blockade affects health services, causes illness, and leads to deaths in Cuba despite our very strong healthcare system," concluded the Minister.
According to Cuba's most recent report on the effects of the blockade, this Washington policy impacts the acquisition of 69% of the essential medicines on the island.
It specifies that out of a list of 651 drugs (250 imported and 401 produced nationally), more than 400 are currently not received regularly in the country's pharmacies.
Additionally, 364 medications (56% of the total) are in short supply, the report highlights.
The document notes that Cuba cannot access advanced technologies and medications manufactured in the U.S. normally, or must do so through third-party markets at much higher prices, particularly for medical equipment where more than 10% of its components are from that northern country.
With information from the Cuban News Agency (ACN).
