Cuba's international cooperative efforts in health [Letter]

Abstract

Longstanding collaboration with Cuban research institutes makes us privileged witnesses to the country's successes and hardships. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the tightening of the US blockade, Cuba has been in dire straits but overall health outcomes have remained excellent and continue to improve. 2 3 International solidarity has always been at the centre of the Cuban societal project, lately from structural health cooperation with Haiti and Venezuela to massive emergency relief to Pakistan after the earthquake last year. 4 The Venezuelan government is developing comprehensive health programmes, aiming at universal coverage (F Armada, speech, Continental Social Forum, Caracas, January 2006).