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Cuba Autor: Juventud Rebelde Publicado: 29/12/2017 | 06:27 pm
Cuba predicts to close 2017 with an infant mortality rate of 4.1 per thousand live births, the lowest in the history of the sector in the country, as a result of the professionals and managers’intense work of a National Health System that thinks in people more than in diseases.
The member of the Political Bureau and Minister of Public Health, Dr. Roberto Morales Ojeda, spoke about this and other indicators of the health of the Cuban population, at the ceremony held on Thursday in the Camilo Cienfuegos Hall of the Ministry of Public Health, on the occasion of the 59th anniversary of the Cuban RevolutionTriumph.
The head of Public Health revealed the highest number of surgical activities in the history of the sector in the countryduring this 2017, and it is achieved a sustained increase in the number of minimally invasive surgeries techniques with more than 52,000 reported, which represent more than 14 percent of the total elective major surgeries.
The Minister also stressed that the achievement of the highest number in the country of natural products produced and available for the application of natural and traditional medicine are among the satisfactory results.
Three years after, Cuba became the first country certified by the World Health Organization to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and congenital syphilis. It is maintained the indicator of zero percent and 0.04 percent per thousand live births, respectively.
Morales Ojeda said that "in a country where 19.8 percent of the population is over 60 years old and life expectancy at birth is 78.45 years, the care for the elderly remains a priority, with lower indicators of mortality of the older adult with more than 60 and 75 years.”
"They increased the number of day care homesfor elderly to 287 in the country to serve more than 9,900 elderly people, and 150 nursing homes with more than 11,910 beds," he said.
Morales Ojeda also said that the availability of technical aids, including hearing aids, is increasing, and its access is extended to 62 pharmacies throughout the country, in which they can acquire wheelchairs, canes, walkers, Fowler beds, among other resources.
It meant that, 26 new equipment was installed in seven provinces of the countryfor the diagnosis and treatment of cancer this year, with a cost of over 26 million dollars.
"There are 45 regionalized oncology, 25 nuclear medicine and nine radiotherapy services to guarantee the access to cancer care for the population. The diagnosis in early stages of the cervix, skin and breast cancer has also been praiseworthy, thanks to the use of effective techniques for the detection of this disease".
The Minister confirmed that the country has eliminated poliomyelitis, diphtheria, tetanus in newborn, whooping cough, measles, rubella and mumps. It is shown a decrease in the incidence of bacterial meningitis by seven percent and the viral infection by 21 percent, as well as the number of cases of imported malaria, gonorrhea, genital herpes and condyloma acuminatum.
Morales Ojeda said that 81 percent of people living with HIV in the country receive antiretroviral treatment, a percentage higher than in 2016.
The incidence of confirmed cases of dengue decreases by 68 percent. There have not been reported cases of chikungunya, and at the end of the first half of December, Zika transmission was reported in 18 municipalities of the country, he added.
“This year 145 organdonations have been made, which allowed 454 transplants, of which 198 were kidney”, he highlighted.
Besides, he affirmed that the basic table of medicines for 2018 approved 761. "Currently, we are working on the process of changing the medical prescription model and the implementation of new institutional rubber stamp, as well as the process of transformations was approved throughout the pharmacy's business system which strengthen the service of these facilities“.
He said that in the last four years, more than 24 300 medical devices have been imported for a costof over 210 million dollars, for the benefit of all medical specialties and most of the country's health institutions.
The Minister also referred to the Cuban health professionals training of different specialties in 18 countries in advanced technologies and with foreign professors in Cuba, which has allowed to introduce 33 techniques that have benefited more than 1780 patients.
In the event, the collective labor agreement was signed between the Ministry of Public Health and the National Union of Health Workers. In addition, the prizes of the Second Edition of the Journalistic Contest Nicolás José Gutiérrez were granted. Theprizewinners were: with the Grand Prize Lisandra Fariñas of Granma newspaper; Michel García of Radio Camoa; Milenis Torres of the Cuban Television Informative System; Leyani Graciela Díaz of 5 de septiembre Newspaper; and Alina Iglesias of Radio Enciclopedia under the digital journalism.
