By Kimberly Ramkhalawan
December 6, 2022.
Export Barbados and Cuba have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the cooperation of public health sharing between the two Caribbean nations in areas of health and bio-technology.
The signing took place shortly after Barbados welcomed Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel who arrived in Barbados ahead of the Eighth CARICOM-Cuba Summit. Both leaders, Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, spoke at lengths of the long standing relations between both nations.
She underscored the importance of Cuban nurses to Barbados’ health system, remarking what it might be without the contractual agreement currently in place that allows their presence at hospitals across Barbados. Mottley said while Barbados was dealing with a diabetes epidemic with it being on a priority list of 9.9 out of ten, she highlighted the need for trained ophthalmologists in diagnosing and treating Glaucoma patients, trained doctors who were being sourced from Cuba. And while she noted “there were many who chose to go the United States and the UK for health care treatment would rather go, there were just as many locally who stood to benefit who were ordinary people without whom, the ability to see would be compromised”.
Meanwhile she spoke of the diabetes medication that works specifically on diabetic ulcers, this will make the difference in the lives of ordinary people in every single parish in the country, and in the same vein, assist those in need of chemotherapy care.
In other areas of cooperation, Mottley said a commitment in sport had been made toward sending coaches for cricket, road tennis, netball, a promise made that should have been pursued already. She further added such collaborations would engage the younger generations, a deliberate move she says will grow with the relationships grasping its importance within their formative years, making those connections doing songs and art together, films, sports then she says “they would have created connections that will last a lifetime, establishing roots that go even deeper than they currently have”.
As for bringing the region closer, the Barbados Prime Minister shared from the perspective of tourism, plans in getting air transport, and a single ferry moving up and down. While she touched on history between both nations forging them to come together during the tragic terrorist attack which took place in the waters of Barbados, in September 1976, she said it was an area that remained “as a blemish in the Americas”, she said push was toward scheduling a licensed service that starts off once a week atleast in the initial stages, thereby creating another transport hub in region.
Mottley also called for an MOU in education, where becoming a bilingual region becomes priority, furthered at the level of the OAS, where it adds value to the region.
But with this year’s summit expected to focus on agriculture relations, she added that there is now a need for Cuba and the region to find means of facilitating trade.
With Barbados currently seeking help in its sugar cane crop, she lamented how Barbados was once the leader in cane research back in the 1900s, but was now asking Cuba for help in increasing yields in sugar cane, something she described as proof in “what can be up , can also be down, but what remains is the cooperation”.
Mottley who is also championing the move away from traditional international banking systems, said it was important that the region and Cuba worked with others to develop a payment system, suggesting the use of the AfricanEXIM bank which has offered to Pan African payment system within the region, and proceed. And while she did not chose to speak publicly on the matter, it was one that she “intends to engage in further discussions, to quickly find a mechanism to allow for greater inter regional trade that does not depend on the United States of America” and what she described as “their shameful actions that continue to perpetuate blockades”.
Remarking ahead of his country’s participation in in the 8th Summit of Caricom-Cuba, on the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations of the largest island of the Antilles with the first four independent States of the Caribbean: Jamaica, Guyana, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago, the Cuban Head of State shared much appreciation for it continued support at the international level calling for the removal of decades long blockades.
Cuban President Díaz-Canel thanked Barbados for its sustained support since 1966 and the report that Cuba presents annually to the United Nations General Assembly to bring an end to the financial blockade against his country. Expressing deep gratitude for the ongoing visit and the official conversations had, having surpassed expectations, giving the energy to continue to cooperate to extend and deepen its relations and there are important commitment from the Barbados Government.
He shared that Cuba has been looking forward to more relations core cooperation in health, and sports have been favourable to both countries. The Cuban president says it has also been looking for new areas of cooperation in areas of bio-technology, health and agriculture, climate change, sports, culture and education among others.
Recognizing the role of CARICOM as a regional organization to provide the framework to political cooperation and cooperation in Caribbean, he expressed certainty in the result of Tuesday’s summit being satisfactory and contributing to greater relations between Cuba and the CARICOM.