Cuba punches above its weight in Ebola fight

[GBCW 397]

October 20, 2014

by Lisa De Bode

Cuba offered to collaborate with the United States to combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa as the island nation sends an additional 460 doctors and nurses to the region — an example of how the Cuban government uses medical personnel to flex its soft power throughout the world, experts say.

...

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said in a letter published Saturday that his country would send an additional 460 doctors and nurses to West Africa, where nearly 4,500 people have died from Ebola and another 5,000 have been infected.

The team of medical personnel will join the 165 Cuban doctors and nurses who are already in Sierra Leone to help fight the epidemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) called Cuba's effort one of the “most important” medical contributions made by a single country. By comparison, the United States has sent about 600 medical staff to the region, and an additional 565 military troops to assist with containment efforts.

...

Public health has ... been key to the Cuban government’s diplomacy efforts in Africa and around the world. The island nation has deployed more than 130,000 medical field personnel in more than 107 countries in the past 50 years to assist with public health emergencies and care. Cuba currently has 45,952 medical workers tackling diseases around the world, according to Granma.

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/10/20/cuba-ebola-who-cdcus.html

[JohnR! 5,495]

Every little bit of help counts. Good for them!

[Teddy B 17,252]

Next thing yanno we'll be calling for a ban on flights from Cuba.

Oh wait.

[Operator 1,927]

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/517301-the-ebola-thread-please-post-ebola-here/?p=7277379

[Merle 458]

Well it makes sense since Cuba has better health care than the U.S., or so I heard from Michael Moore's "documentary" Sicko.

[Dan and Judy 614]

if Florida wasn't so hotly contested we could bury the hatchet wit Cuba

[JohnR! 5,495]

And yet they are willing to pitch in and help. It's amazing how unpolitical doctors can be. Ironically, science is as self serving as politics.

Well it makes sense since Cuba has better health care than the U.S., or so I heard from Michael Moore's "documentary" Sicko.

[Darnell 8,478]

wait - what? above it's weight?

no no no - the writer was misinformed,

as

Cuba puts out a disappropriate number of doctors and nurses into the rest of the world each year, as part of it's publicity stuff. It's very well known, and unfortunately the writer not know of it (this is evident from the article)

If'n yer a doctor and have never left Cuba, well, your grades weren't good enough, or your peer reviews sucked, or you mucked about during yer residency program.

Edited October 23, 2014 by Darnell

[GBCW 397]

From the excerpt I pasted:

Public health has ... been key to the Cuban government’s diplomacy efforts in Africa and around the world. The island nation has deployed more than 130,000 medical field personnel in more than 107 countries in the past 50 years to assist with public health emergencies and care. Cuba currently has 45,952 medical workers tackling diseases around the world, according to Granma.

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

They're helping, that is great. And they make AWESOME cigars. If only this joint effort would lift the ban on bringing said cigars legally into the USA...

[Darnell 8,478]

ok - so maybe the TITLE is specious - trying to incite a riot (no no, not here at VJ, that wonderful 'Immigrate to USA DIY Web Portal Thingie]

[UncleBeer 244]

wait - what? above it's weight?

I assumed they were alluding to this O'bama gem:

http://youtu.be/erYpXzE9Pxs

[Teddy B 17,252]

I assumed they were alluding to this O'bama gem:

That theory of "huge earning potential" isn't going to pan out if you sit on the couch all day stalking Obama vids on youtube.

[UncleBeer 244]

Troll away, Skeezix.

[Teddy B 17,252]

Troll away, Skeezix.

http://www.vermonthelpwanted.com/