Portal Miranda explained that the stagnation and setback in tuberculosis treatment faces obstacles such as structural inequalities and in the financial system. Photo: Prensa Latina
Structural inequalities in the current economic order and financial system impact developing countries’ response to tuberculosisassured this Friday the Cuban Minister of Health José Ángel Portal.
The response requires prioritization not only of health needs but also from a broader perspectivestressed the owner on behalf of the G77 and China during the second high-level meeting to combat this epidemic.
This event is timely as tuberculosis is a preventable and curable disease that represents a critical challenge for the disproportionately affected countries of the South, he warned.
However, Portal added: Stagnation and setbacks in tuberculosis treatment are faced with obstacles such as structural inequalities and in the financial system along with the difficulties arising from Covid-19.
At the same time, the Cuban representative recalled the impact of unilateral coercive measures, which have a direct and negative impact on the health and well-being of its people.
The G77 and China reiterate that these impositions on the bloc’s member states do not contribute to economic and social development and reiterate the urgent need to eliminate them, he stressed.
Aside from that, Resource support and international cooperation on technology transfer and capacity building are inadequatewhile official development assistance and financial assistance commitments related to this disease are not being met.
What’s more, funding and innovation in the fight against tuberculosis represents barely half of the $2 billion a year agreed to in the 2018 political declaration, he added.
This implies major implications for the capabilities of the global south, he emphasized.
The Cuban minister rejected that during the political negotiations before this meeting, some more developed countries had tried to obscure the disproportionate impact of tuberculosis on disadvantaged countries.
This phase should have been more inclusive, transparent and balanced, he said, a practice that the group could neither tolerate nor accept in the future.
(With information from Prensa Latina)