Havana, Mar 18 (Prensa Latina) The economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States against Cuba prevented payment to the island’s suppliers and made it difficult to supply medicines to the national health system during 2021, it emerged today.
Due to the pressure exerted on the banks by Washington’s punitive policy, the transfer of income generated by exports to the country was hampered, said Mayda Mauri, vice president of the Cuban Biotechnological and Pharmaceutical Industry Group (BioCubaFarma).
According to his statements, reviewed by the Cuban News Agency (ACN), also in the course of last year some suppliers refused to supply raw materials to the nation and used the debts of the industry as an excuse, a situation also caused by the lack of banking structures willing to deal with the Caribbean country.
Other suppliers, who maintain relations with the United States government, declined to sell to the largest of the Antilles, he assured.
It revealed that of the financial resources available in 2021, half of them were required in the development and production of vaccines against Covid-19 and in the drugs of the treatment protocol for this disease.
To acquire the raw materials for the medicines in the basic table, he added, only 50 percent of the financing needed was available.
According to Mauri, by 2022 the situation is complex, since 50 percent of the income obtained the previous year has not yet been received and the amounts of supplies necessary to stabilize the supply of medicines have not yet been acquired.
The official assured that all doses of anti-Covid-19 vaccines are guaranteed to complete the primary immunization of the population and also for booster doses.
Thanks to the productive capacities created, it is possible to have immunogens for export, which will allow BioCubaFarma to receive income, whose priority is the production of medicines, he assured.
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