Cuba pledges to support health

Intervención de Marcelino Medina, Viceministro Primero del MINREX, durante elForo Internaconal de Periodismo por el 60 Aniversario de la Operación Verdad, Hotel Nacional, La Habana, Cuba.

Elita Chikwati Senior Reporter
Cuba has pledged to continue strengthening relations with Zimbabwe, especially in the health sector where Havana is expected to send more doctors to assist. This came out when visiting Cuban Foreign Affairs Vice Minister Marcelino Medina paid a courtesy call on Vice President Kembo Mohadi at his Munhumutapa Office last week.

Vice Minister Medina had earlier on met with the Speaker of the National Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda at Parliament.

VP Mohadi said they discussed a number of issues, including strengthening relations between the two countries, especially in the health sector.

“We did touch historical issues and how Cuba assisted us during the liberation struggle, and how we benefited from that,” he said.

“We also talked about strengthening co-operation between the two countries and how we are going to further strengthen the relations.

“After independence we used to have a number of our students going to Cuba to receive training and education on sciences and mathematics. We then decided to have a similar institution here in Zimbabwe and established Bindura University of Science and Technology and we still have lecturers from Cuba.”

Adv Mudenda said they discussed how Cuba and Zimbabwe could cooperate at parliamentary level.
“We looked at the areas of co-operation between our two parliaments,” he said.

“I have been to Cuba to meet my counterpart. Currently, our Senate President Mabel Chinomona is in Cuba to strengthen bilateral relations between both parliaments.”

Adv Mudenda said Cuba was undergoing constitutional reforms and they shared how Zimbabwe had reformed its Constitution.

Vice Minister Medina said relations between Cuba and Zimbabwe were historical.
“We have come to Zimbabwe to continue broadening our relations which are strong, historical and symbolic,” he said. “We have scheduled meetings with different ministers to see how we can strengthen our ties, especially in the health and sports sectors which we believe are our areas of speciality.”