Testimonies of life cannot be silenced by decrees

In the face of the onslaught of criticism and restrictions, Cuba stands as a silent witness. The Antillean nation's doctors, with their healing hands, have restored hope and joy to humble communities in different latitudes of the world, and those testimonies cannot be silenced by decree.

"I would rather lose my U.S. visa than have 60 poor and hard-working people die," said the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, in response to the White House's attempt to sabotage the work of the doctors and health personnel of the largest of the Antilles, who, in turn, praised the dialysis treatments provided by Cuban personnel in his nation.

The challenge comes in the context of the recent announcement by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to impose sanctions against officials associated with Cuban medical brigades deployed in the Caribbean, which threatens to disrupt a health alliance that has addressed the severe shortage of medical personnel in the region for generations.

In this regard, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Keith Rowley, highlighted the medical services he has obtained from the island, which, he said, are under the false justification that the Cuban program is based on human trafficking.

For her part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Jamaica, Kamina Johnson Smith, stressed that the more than 400 Cubans at different levels of the medical missions -doctors, nurses, biomedical engineers and technicians- are fundamental for the functioning of her health system.

The Government of Grenada also referred to the country's "legitimate partnership" with Cuba. Its Prime Minister, Dickon Mitchell, noted that Cubans alike "have for several decades provided support to the people of Grenada in the medical field".