Brasilia, Aug 14 (Prensa Latina) The National Association of Cuban Residents in Brazil (Ancreb-José Martí (JM)) today condemned the recent actions and statements by the United States government against the Más Médicos program and the national authorities involved in its implementation.
In a statement obtained by Prensa Latina, Ancreb-JM describes the allegations made by U.S. officials as “false accusations,” which are attempting to delegitimize one of the most emblematic social programs of the last decade in Brazil.
Created in 2013, Mais Médicos (More Doctors) was born in response to an alarming reality: millions of Brazilians, especially in rural and indigenous areas, lacked access to any type of basic medical care.
From its inception, Cuban doctors have played a key role in this program, serving communities historically neglected by the Brazilian health system.
For Ancreb-JM, the current attacks are more than just political aggression: they represent an attempt to criminalize international solidarity cooperation.
“Cuba’s participation in Más Médicos has saved countless lives,” the document states, denouncing that “attacks against this program are, in reality, attacks against the human right to health.”
The island’s legacy of medical collaboration is not new. For decades, thousands of Cuban healthcare professionals have provided services in countries across Africa, Latin America, and Asia, guided by a profoundly humanistic ethic.
The phrase from the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, quoted in the declaration – “Doctors, not bombs” – sums up the spirit of these missions.
Amid the current international landscape, where humanitarian crises are multiplying and access to healthcare remains a privilege for many, defending initiatives like Más Médicos takes on even greater importance.
Ancreb-JM closes its message by reaffirming its commitment to the Caribbean nation’s legacy of solidarity, Brazil’s sovereignty, and the right of all peoples to fair and universal healthcare systems.
On November 14, 2018, Cuba reaffirmed the solidarity and humanistic spirit demonstrated by its healthcare professionals in dozens of countries by announcing the withdrawal of Mais Médicos from Brazil, in response to conditions imposed by then-President-elect Jair Bolsonaro.
“The people of Our America and the rest of the world know that they can always count on the humanistic and caring spirit of our professionals,” the island’s Ministry of Public Health stated in a statement on the occasion.
As part of Más Médicos (More Doctors), the Ministry of Health stated, in the last five years, nearly 20,000 Cuban collaborators treated 113,359,000 patients in some 3,600 municipalities, “reaching a universe of up to 60 million Brazilians.”
arc/ocs
