Topic:
Country: Cuba
Delegate Name: Harriet Ogilvie
Committee: World Health Organization
Topic: Pandemic Preparedness
Country: Cuba
Delegate: Harriet Ogilvie, FH Northern HS
Pandemics are constantly threatening the health of people around the world. With the most recent being the COVID-19 Pandemic. When the COVID-19 Pandemic hit we saw astounding impacts on trade and economic fluctuation, and it created financial instability. Throughout the world, researchers are constantly looking for ways to prevent the spread of diseases and develop effective countermeasures as well as ways to prepare economically for pandemics.
On March 11, 2023, COVID-19 arrived in Cuba. Throughout the next few years, Cuba was able to productively combat COVID-19. Cuba’s health care system follows a system of equity. This allowed Cuba’s response to COVID-19 to be effective. Most of their resources first went to help those in the lower socioeconomic strata working their way up to the higher strata. Cuba created a plan to combat COVID-19 beginning with preventive measures in the communities. Cuba also creates laboratories to research the virus. Case tracking, their research, and the pandemic protocols allowed the virus to be controlled. Out of Cuba’s 1,115,150 cases, there were a total of 8,530 deaths. Despite having a productive medical response to the pandemic, Cuba’s economy suffered. Just before the pandemic, President Trump increased economic sanctions, and Venezuela Cuba’s benefactor went into crisis, finally due to COVID-19 the tourism industry failed.
Cuba did little during this unfortunate economic point during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, Cuba is slowly rebuilding the tourism industry, but Cuba’s economic status is still struggling. There are limited efforts to help rebuild the economy. Regarding medical preparedness, healthcare workers took training courses and created the plan for the Ministry of Public Health. When the first cases of COVID-19 came to Cuba the healthcare workers had a protocol. Additionally, Cuba wanted to be independent when it came to creating vaccines. Cuba had a well-prepared platform for vaccination medicine. They were able to create vaccines fast due to their previous vaccination research happening before the pandemic hit.
Cuba understands the significant impact pandemics have on a country’s being. Cuba believes that in the case of another pandemic, Cuba will be able to have an effective medical plan. On the other hand, the impending hardships of another pandemic will greatly shake Cuba’s economy. Cuba needs to increase its efforts to build the economy, but due to Cuba’s reluctance to work with other countries, it will be difficult to rebuild the economy. However, it is necessary to handle another possible pandemic.
