The Pan African Movement Uganda chapter has launched a campaign in support of a similar one to have Cuban doctors awarded the Nobel Prize.
According to a statement issued recently by the chairman Uganda chapter, Daniel Rugarama who also doubles as head of the Uganda – Cuba Solidarity Movement, he also calls ‘upon the International community to help Cuba in the fight against the unjustified economic blockade by its neighbour, United States of America.
“The Pan African Movement – Uganda National Chapter together with the Uganda – Cuba Solidarity Movement would like to express its solidarity with Cuban Doctors and Nurses of the Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade to be awarded with the the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize 2020. This is in recorgnition of their selfless service in fighting to stop the spread of the pandemic and taking care of the sick now in twenty two (22) countries,” the statement says.
Launched April 28 by the associations Cuba Linda and France Cuba, the initiative has thus far received the support of solidarity groups, political organizations and unions in France, Spain, Ireland and Italy, and thousands of Internet users on the Facebook page “Prix Nobel de la paix pour les brigades médicales cubaines Henry Reeve.”
Some supporters of the effort to recognize Cuban physicians advocate extending the campaign with an international committee.
Joining the effort recently were the Bocas del Ródano Departmental Union of the General Confederation of Labor of France, the Toulouse France-Cuba Committee, the Spanish Euskadi-Cuba, Cubainformación.tv, Communists of Catalonia, and the National Association of Friendship Italy-Cuba.
The Rugarama statement adds, “The Republic of Cuba has a long history of extending medical support to mainly developing countries with dire health conditions being caused by calamities and poor health sectors. In the recent years, Cuba became the first country to send the largest medical team (over 400 doctors and nurses) to combat the world’s widest Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinue in 2014; The same response happened in the Pakistan-administered Kashmir region during the catastrophic earthquake of 2005; In 2010 during the earthquake in Haiti, Cuban Doctors were again the first to respond; And, this year, 2020, again Cuba was the first country to dispatch off medical response teams to countries whose health care systems were overwhelmed by the devastation of COVID19 pandemic. Futher, the country also offers education scholarships and training to various countries in order to build capacity of their health systems.”
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba has sent some 3,000 medical teams to 28 countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa as well as to the Middle East to help in combating the pandemic.
Late last month, Cuba sent a medical team to Guinea-Bissau, a tropical country in West Africa to help in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The act of Cuba is a true sign of international solidarity towards social justice and safeguarding the lives of people. It is therefore paramount to award Cuban Doctors and Nurses with this year’s 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for their longtime voluntary commitment in saving the lives of people globally,” Rugarama adds.
A 21-member medical team — 11 doctors and 10 nurses – arrived in the African country, where Cuba has already extended assistance in fighting the deadly Ebola epidemic from 2014-2016.
More than 200 Cuban healthcare workers arrived in South Africa late April at the request of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
