Cuba once again breaks its own record and achieves the lowest historical number of births in relative terms with 95,000, some 4,000 less than in 2021, the year in which 99,096 Cubans arrived in the world. The data was known this Monday through state television, which covered a meeting led by the Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero, which has been echoed by the country’s main media without revealing that number.
Granma alludes to the “data shared at the meeting by Juan Carlos Alfonso Fraga, deputy head of the National Office of Statistics and Information (Onei)”, without providing them, although he advances what the public already intuits, that “they are related to a decrease in the population of working age and the economically active population, the increase in urbanization, despite the decrease in the urban population, and the average number of people per household”.
The Onei should have carried out the population census of Cuba in 2022, which, as in most countries, is carried out every ten years
The Onei should have carried out the population census of Cuba in 2022, which, as in most countries, is carried out every ten years. Although it was initially scheduled to be drawn up in September, Diego Enrique González Galbán, director of the Center for Population and Development Studies, confirmed in June that it was postponed due to lack of the necessary conditions and nothing more has been heard from.
On that occasion, the official explained that the authorities had “consistent population figures every year, with a breakdown by sex and age, and openings at the national, provincial and municipal levels, as well as urban and rural areas.” According to these data, in March 2022, the Island had 11,105,814, although the figure is incorrect, since the hundreds of thousands of people who have emigrated in recent years have not been discounted. According to the Immigration Law, Cubans lose their residence if they remain outside the Island for more than 24 months, but by virtue of an exception created by the pandemic for those who could not return, the term is currently automatically extended.
The forecast, made years ago by the authorities, was that the population would decrease until 2025 by more than 203,111 people, although the worsening of living conditions has accelerated – in the absence of figures – the demographic collapse. According to these calculations, already overwhelming, about 26% of the population will soon be over 60 years of age and those over 80, the age at which life expectancy on the Island is, are increasing significantly.
Although the data confirming the complicated demographic evolution of the country are not yet available to the citizens, the committee meeting has revealed that the budget item destined to meet the needs of this growing population group must increase. The budget is 869,670,000 pesos higher than last year and reaches 2,113,000,000 pesos.
Among the priority issues to which the money will go are dental and hearing prostheses, care for infertile couples and the modernization of equipment in assisted reproduction centers. In addition, there are also resources for the construction and maintenance of children’s circles, homes for the elderly and mothers, as well as homes for grandparents and for women with three or more children.
The situation of day care centers is worrying, since to date only 47% of the requests for places for the 2022-2023 academic year have been granted, and 29,061 of the 53,447 that were made remain pending.
The situation, precisely, of day care centers is worrisome, since to date only 47% of the applications for places for the 2022-2023 academic year have been granted, and 29,061 of the 53,447 that were made remain pending.
María de los Ángeles Gallo Sánchez, director of Early Childhood at the Ministry of Education, stated that options are being sought to recover capacities, including classrooms in primary schools and children’s houses, a modality that, according to the official, has not been ” embraced” in the country, since there are only 67 on the island with 2,187 places, having several provinces -which he did not specify- that completely lack them.
Marrero criticized that the Ministry of Education is the one that has the most children’s houses, despite the call to other entities to support them with places in day care centers. “Everyone has to know the needs of their workers and seek solutions within the framework of this year,” urged the prime minister, who pointed out that anyone cannot afford to pay for childcare services offered by self-employed workers. .
“This is productivity, because that mother takes away a worry, goes to work and is more efficient, it is more family harmony, this is demographic dynamics,” said the leader.
The meeting also saw the presentation of a “Geriatrics and Gerontology evaluation kit” for medical centers that contains a glucometer, digital blood pressure monitor and an oximeter, among other diagnostic and control tools, all of which are nationally manufactured.
The meeting also saw the presentation of a “Geriatrics and Gerontology evaluation kit” for medical centers that contains a glucometer, digital blood pressure monitor and an oximeter
“That is a tremendous idea, a dream of what we want to have in all places, that is a basic module of what any population care center should have, because it is not only for the sick, it is also for studying population , early diagnosis and follow-up,” said José Ángel Portal Mirada, Minister of Public Health about these products that are commonly used in pharmacies and clinics and are commonly used in pharmacies and clinics outside of Cuba.
According to the official press, Antonio Aja Díaz, director of the Center for Demographic Studies of the University of Havana, was present at the meeting, who “called attention to the need to ‘make our own the information provided systematically on demographic dynamics, not only by to know it, but to dominate and control what each policy pays to change that reality'”. Despite this, the ruling party has not disclosed these indicators to the population
“We are going to solve demographic issues in the medium and long term, and that is something important, we cannot be discouraged,” added the official with striking optimism in the midst of the largest exodus that has taken place on the island in the last 60 years. years.
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