Cuba and Venezuela to support Ghana

Cuba and Venezuela have pledged to support Ghana in the training of medical doctors beginning next year. The support will also be extended to the biological control of malaria through the establishment of factories for the production of lavaecides.

The Minister of Health, Dr. George Sipa Yankey disclosed this last night on his return from Havana and Caracas as part of an ECOWAS health delegation to the two countries.

He said the visit was aimed at the establishment of a tripartite arrangement of Cuba, Venezuela and ECOWAS. Under the arrangement, Cuba will provide the technology to fight malaria, with Venezuela and ECOWAS providing the political commitment and support for the project.

The ECOWAS delegation included the President of the Commission, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas and the Health Minister of Nigeria.

Dr. Yankey said he held series of meetings with the Cuban Ministers of Health, Education, Agriculture and Foreign Affairs on bilateral issues.

Ghana was assured of continuous Cuban Medical Brigade support and the opening up of her training facilities to Ghanaian Health Personnel.

Cuba also positively promised to expand medical cooperation with ECOWAS countries especially in the control and eradication of malaria parasites.

To this end factories to process lavaecides would be built in Nigeria and Cote d’ Ivoire and the one in Ghana extended to other region of the country.

On Venezuela, Dr. Yankey said the country which has one of the best paediatric and cardiothoracic medical facilities in Latin America, has also pledged to offer training assistance to Ghanaian post graduate medical doctors.

He noted that the level and capacity of medical training facilities existing in Venezuela is a real challenge to Ghana to invest more in medical education.