Seumas Milne
The Guardian - Wednesday 3 December
Four months into the internationally declared Ebola emergency that has devastated west Africa, Cuba leads the world in direct medical support
to fight the epidemic. The US and Britain have sent thousands of troops
and, along with other countries, promised aid – most of which has yet
to materialise. But, as the World Health Organisation has insisted,
what’s most urgently needed are health workers. The Caribbean island,
with a population of just 11m and official per capita income of $6,000
(£3,824), answered that call before it was made. It was first on the
Ebola frontline and has sent the largest contingent of doctors and
nurses – 256 are already in the field, with another 200 volunteers on their way.
While western media interest has faded with the receding threat of
global infection, hundreds of British health service workers have
volunteered to join them. The first 30 arrived in Sierra Leone last week,
while troops have been building clinics. But the Cuban doctors have
been on the ground in force since October and are there for the long
haul.
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