Cuba sent 216 healthcare workers to South Africa on Saturday to help in the fight against COVID-19.
South Africa is the continent’s worst affected country by COVID-19, having recorded 4,361 cases and 86 deaths, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a bid to stop further spread of the disease, the South African government has imposed a nationwide lockdown and also put in place many other relevant measures.
Other than South Africa, Cuba has also sent other medical teams to other countries to tackle the novel coronavirus.
Cuba has one of the world’s highest number of doctors per capita and is renowned for its focus on prevention, community-oriented primary health care and preparedness to fight epidemics.
“The advantage of Cuba is that they are a community health model, one that we would like to use,” South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize told a news briefing earlier this month.
While confirming that the doctors are expected to Arrive in South Africa later on Sunday, the Cuban Embassy in Pretoria said “they will be deployed in different provinces of the country, in accordance with the strategic plans elaborated by the Department of Health.”
“These times require cooperation and solidarity. If we act together, the propagation of the virus will be halted, in a faster and more cost-effective manner,” the embassy added in its statement.
In Africa, more than 30,000 COVID-19 cases and 1,374 deaths across 52 countries. The disease has killed over 203,000 people globally.
(With input from Reuters)
