A Cuban medical brigade is expected to jet in South Africa on Monday to assist in the fight against the deadly Coronavirus.
The South African Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize Cuba is known for its disaster preparedness and its consistent deployment of medical brigades for disaster relief wherever required, which continues to earn Havana goodwill worldwide.
Read the full statement below:
We are pleased to announce that in the early hours of tomorrow, 27 April 2020, a delegation of 217 Cuban Medical Brigade will arrive in South Africa. This is in response to the Goverment of the Republic of South Africa’s request to the Government of Cuba to offer us assistance and medical personnel support comprising of infectious diseases specialists, to support South Africa in its efforts to deal with COVID-19.
The strong social and political solidarity and support that exists between the two countries have been seen in various development programmes. As the Department of Health, we have continuously enjoyed this support through the ongoing medical training programme of South African students in Cuba.
As Cuba did in the difficult times of apartheid, it has once again lent its hand by sending health workers who are specialised in the areas of Family Medicine, Infection Prevention Control, Case Management, Regulatory Authority, Epidemiology and Surveillance, Health Technology and Biostatistics.
Cuba is known for its disaster preparedness and its consistent deployment of medical brigades for disaster relief wherever required, which continues to earn Havana goodwill worldwide. Some of these highly skilled health professionals were in the frontline of fighting other outbreaks in the world such as Cholera in Haiti in 2010, and Ebola in West Africa in 2013.
Before departure from Cuba, the medical brigade had been placed in quarantine to ensure that they minimise any form of exposure prior to coming to South Africa. This is despite the fact that Cuba is one of the countries where the reported COVID-19 infection rate remains minimal.
As South Africa, we have taken an additional step which is in line with our lockdown regulations. This team will be put in precautionary quarantine as they await their test results.
We will also use this period to fully induct them into the South African situational analysis and the various provinces they will be deployed to.
Once this process is concluded, His Excellency, President MC Ramaphosa together with other Ministers will formally welcome the medical brigade to South Africa and also confirm their allocation to different provinces.