MEDIA STATEMENT
For Immediate Release
The Cuba Consortium Welcomes Historic U.S.-Cuba Health Sector Agreement
Washington, DC (June 14, 2016) – The Cuba Consortium applauds yesterday’s
signing of a historic cooperative health agreement between the United States
and Cuba.
The memorandum
of understanding (MOU) signed by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary
Sylvia M. Burwell and Cuba’s Minister of Health, Dr. Roberto Morales Ojeda, “establishes
coordination across a broad spectrum of public health issues, including global
health security, communicable and non-communicable diseases, research and
development, and information technology,” according to the HHS. It further
notes that the agreement will facilitate collaboration to address some of the
common health issues faced by both countries, such as aging populations,
diabetes, cancer and neurodegenerative conditions. Both are also susceptible to
mosquito-borne infectious diseases such as Zika and dengue.
Senator Tom Daschle, the Cuba Consortium’s co-chair, commented:
“Americans and Cubans alike will benefit from this umbrella accord. The Cuba Consortium is convening biotech
firms, academic institutions, research centers and non-profit organizations
throughout the US that share this vision.
We are exploring the potential in working with Cuban institutions to improve the health of
all Americans and that of people across the globe.”
“This is a win-win that can lead to joint programs to ensure a
healthier, safer future for both our people, earlier availability of vital
medications and vaccines, and mutual learning to make health a priority in all
policies,” noted Gail Reed, executive director of Medical Education Cooperation
with Cuba (MEDICC), a California-based organization that has engaged with the
U.S. and Cuban health communities for the last two decades. “We are optimistic
and proud to work as members of The Cuba Consortium, to turn positive diplomacy
into action for health.”
About The Cuba Consortium
The Cuba Consortium is an assembly of companies, non-profit
organizations, investors, academics, and entrepreneurs organized to track and
examine the normalization process in both the United States and Cuba and to
inform and prepare its members for opportunities to engage Cuba. They are
complemented by foreign policy, political, economic, international development,
legal, and cultural experts who have specialized knowledge of the diplomacy,
politics, and economics of the normalization process. The Cuba Consortium is
organized by The Howard Baker Forum, a bipartisan convener of public policy
conferences and roundtables founded by the late Senator Howard Baker and
designed to advance sound foreign and domestic policies. See: http://thecubaconsortium.org/