Cuba’s Health Diplomacy in the Age of Ebola

Cuba has provided the largest number of healthcare workers of any country in the global response to West Africa’s Ebola outbreak – more than 250. The country of 11 million has sent medical aid to foreign countries experiencing public health crises since the 1960s, including recent aid to Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami, Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake, and Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. The outreach is connected to Cuba’s commitment to universal healthcare, identified as a human right in Cuba’s 1976 constitution. The nation’s role in stemming Ebola has enhanced its international reputation, despite US criticisms about Cuba’s human rights record since the Communist takeover in 1959. Meanwhile, Cuban caregivers have garnered praise from leaders at the World Health Organization and the United Nations, and US Secretary of State John Kerry. Writing for BBC News, Eduardo Gomez concludes that Cuba also sees the outbreak as an “opportunity to establish a stronger partnership with the United States.” – YaleGlobal