An open letter in support of Cuba from Italian doctors and scientists, criticising the indifference and silence regarding the health effects caused by the US blockade against the island, has today surpassed five thousand signatures.
The text of the letter, which has been circulating in this country since mid-May and was also published in recent hours by the newspaper La Repubblica, points out that the Caribbean nation «is an example of scientific excellence,» but its health system currently faces serious limitations due to an aggressive US policy.
Italian MEP Ilaria Salis recently supported, in a message disseminated on social media, this «important solidarity initiative with Cuba that deserves maximum support,» which is promoted by doctors from this European nation who are «humane, visionary and consistent.»
The document, titled «Italy has a debt to Cuba,» recalls the solidarity assistance provided by Cuban doctors to this country during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the work they currently carry out in the southern region of Calabria, which guarantees the functioning of the local health system.
It states that the criminal US actions «violate fundamental human rights and demand a global response.»
Cuba is the nation with the highest density of doctors in the world, with 8.4 per thousand inhabitants, and «since 1963, more than 600,000 Cuban health professionals have served in more than 160 countries, including Italy,» adds this open letter addressed to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Health Minister Orazio Schillaci.
It notes that, in violation of the principle of health neutrality enshrined in international humanitarian law and medical ethics, which requires that coercive economic measures not affect access to healthcare, the United States has intensified its aggressive policy against that country, severely affecting these services.
The economic, commercial and financial blockade, intensified by US President Donald Trump, which includes actions against energy supply, «deprives the island of fuel, electricity and access to international markets for pharmaceutical products and medical devices,» the signatories point out.
The report published in La Repubblica extends the call for researchers, health professionals, academics and citizens in general to join this letter, to reaffirm that «the Italian medical and scientific community is aware of this emergency» caused by the brutal US blockade on Cuba.
To facilitate signatures, this Italian newspaper published the link to the letter: https://www.scienzainrete.it/lettera-aperta-per-cuba.
In addition to an annex containing the signatures of more than five thousand 300 people, a sample of the growing support in this country for the Cuban people, affected by the genocidal US measures.
