Ms. Thomas described last two years as ‘especially difficult’ for Cuba, because ‘to a blockade tightened to undreamed-of limits by the Donald Trump administration and kept unchanged by Joe Biden´s, it has had to add the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.’

During a medical supply donation sending from the Friendship Association between the peoples of Ethiopia and Cuba, Ms. Thomas listed some consequences of the US blockade such as preventing Cuba from purchasing mechanical ventilation equipment for ICUs, by not granting required license to roll out such an operation in our territory, she assured.

The US blockade, she added, ‘hampered the donation arrival from Alibaba Company, because the cargo shipping company refused to do so fearing of being punished by the US laws.’

Ms. Thomas also pointed out that measures imposed by the United States have precluded Cuba from acquiring materials to produce a large number of medicines, causing shortages of medicines in pharmacies and hospitals nationwide.

The Cuban people, she stressed, ‘is hard-pressed for drugs in hospitals that represent the difference between life and death.’

It is a huge feat for Cuba -amid shortages caused by these unilateral sanctions- to try to obtain medical supplies for medical service, as well as equipment and materials to fight coronavirus, she added.

When it comes to products manufactured by US subsidiaries or with US-made components or software, US blockade even imposes pitfalls to acquiring medical supplies in third country markets.

Likewise, she stressed that Cuba ‘decided on developing its own Covid-19 vaccines’, in order to have sovereignty in treating the disease, ‘and not be subjected to US-controlled mechanisms.’

pgh/Pll/msm / raj