Medical supplies for Cuba: UAE extends benevolent hand to Caribbean

Doaa Emam

The United Arab Emirates continues to benevolently send aid to many countries stricken by the corona pandemic to supply the peoples of those countries with medical equipment and medicines in order to reduce the spread of the Covid-19 corona virus. On Thursday, June 4, an Emirati aircraft containing eight tons of medical supplies arrived in Cuba, benefiting 8,000 health care workers and enhancing their efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

Cuba battling corona

The island of Cuba in the Caribbean is taking good steps against the virus, despite its small size and weak capabilities, as it was able to register its name among the countries that have succeeded in containing the virus and preventing its spread among its population of 11 million people. It recorded its first case of infection in the middle of March, and after three months, only 2,107 cases were recorded, in addition to 83 deaths, while 1,830 cases have been cured.

Strong relationship

According to a statement reported by the Emirates News Agency, UAE Ambassador to Cuba Badr Abdullah Saeed Al Matroushi said that his country and Cuba have had strong ties in recent years and that this aid comes within the framework of cooperation between the two countries, confirming the UAE’s solidarity with Cuba through its support for frontline workers dedicated to fighting the virus. The UAE’s aid to Cuba has reached over 47 million dirhams over the past five years.

To date, the UAE has provided more than 708 tons of aid to more than 62 countries, benefiting about 708,000 medical professionals.

Cuba took various steps that contributed to containing the virus, the most important of which was the quick reaction and preparation of the “Prevention and Control Plan” in January, training of medical personnel, preparation of medical facilities, and awareness of people, along with closing borders, imposing procedures for monitoring and intensifying tests, and using military hospitals to serve infected patients.

The UAE hosted the first UAE-Cuba Investment Forum in Dubai in 2015, considering that Cuba is one of the most influential countries in the Caribbean. The volume of bilateral trade between the two countries in the first half of 2016 reached $9.1 million, while the total volume of trade between the two sides reached $23 million in 2015, as these numbers rose after efforts from both sides aimed at strengthening areas of cooperation and exchange of visits between them.

Cooperation

On the level of development projects between the two countries, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development provided $15 million in the form of soft loans to the Cuban government in order to accelerate the development of the local energy sector in line with the government’s goal to generate about 400 megawatts of solar energy by the current year.