MADRID, Spain. – With a dengue epidemic out of control, hospitals in a state of collapse and medication shortages that Cubans are enduring, the Cuban regime will hold the First International Medical and Wellness Tourism Fair, FITSalud Cuba, between October 17th and 20th.
According to the official press, the event “aims to showcase products, experiences and progress made in health tourism in the Caribbean island, in order to consolidate alliances and launch new paths for the sustainable development of this service.”
Participating in the event, to be held at the Pabexpo Exhibition Complex as part of the XV Health-for-All Fair, will be professionals from the Health and Tourism sector and hospitals and international clinics, hoteliers, insurance companies, tour operators, travel agencies, and others.
The program will include the First International Seminar on Medical and Wellness Tourism, where the various models for medical-tourism marketing will be discussed, as well as trends in the development of wellness tourism. At the same time, the Second International Forum on Foreign Investment in the health sector will take place.
In mid-year, during the official presentation of FITSaludCuba, Yamila de Armas, president of Comercializadora de Servicios Médicos Cubanos, S.A. (CSMC, S.A. by its Spanish acronym) – Cuba’s medical-services marketing firm- indicated that the country would promote “its health-opportunities portfolio, which includes the development of thermal resorts, lending institutions and the production of medical technologies and equipment.”
Quoted by Prensa Latina, de Armas stated that there are more the 250 health and wellness programs that the island provides through institutions of national outreach.
“We are a whole country focused on health and wellness, which guarantees integral and personalized attention given with warmth, humanity and solidarity; we are committed to life, and that is what makes us different,” she stated.
However, in recent months, Cubans have had to deal with the dengue fever epidemic without benefit of medications and with hospitals in a state of collapse.
Last July, BioCubaFarma Business Group reported that, during the first six months of 2022, Cuba experienced a shortage of an estimated 142 pharmaceutical products, a number that represents one third of the 369 basic medications in the National Health System.
Last weekend, it was known that operations at the “Ambrosio Grillo” Hospital in Santiago de Cuba had collapsed due to dengue fever.
One of the patients hospitalized at that medical facility explained to CubaNet: “Imagine the danger of being sick with dengue fever and not to be isolated under a mosquito net. Everyone will become infected. That’s how it was for me at Grillo hospital, and I told my family not to visit me during my hospital stay, because I was afraid they would catch the disease.”
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