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New Gerona, Isle of Youth– One of the main dissatisfactions of the Pinar del Río population at the beginning of 2024 was focused on health services. Various medical specialties were left vacant or with few representatives, in addition to the fact that doctor’s offices and the family nurse in rural districts did not have the essential staff. The Cuban president was informed of this situation during his previous visits to the town, and he left precise instructions with a view to resolving, in the short term, one of the vital services.
This Thursday, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, returned for the fourth time in 2024 to the Isle of Youth. The first thing he requested information about, when beginning his dialogue with local leaders, was about the problems in the health sector that worried the population.
Medical personnel from the provinces of Las Tunas and Granma, specialists in Otorhinolaryngology, Urology, Physiotherapy, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Child Psychiatry, among others, have arrived at the special municipality as a mission within the national territory, among others, who have avoided trips to Havana of patients and significantly reduced surgical waiting lists.
Among the agreements already in place in the health sector, it was mentioned that medical students here have the exceptional benefit of opting for a direct specialty, while for the vacancies not covered in primary care, residents of General and Comprehensive Medicine from the province of Holguín have been assigned.
The authorities gave an account of the status of compliance with the agreements adopted in previous exchanges, commenting on the improvements in the Maternity Home, the care of teenage pregnancies, and the implementation of the CT scanner, which had been broken for more than 3 years.
Regarding food production, an activity closely related to high prices, political and government leaders specified that guava and pineapple have already been planted, to diversify the crops that are delivered to the industry. On a previous visit, the President learned that the agribusiness only processed mangoes in the harvest stage.
The president pointed out two scourges that threaten productive progress today: inertia and lack of control, because in his discussions at the grassroots he has been able to confirm the good experiences of producers, today exceptions, who have had to look for different ways to stop the decline.
Regarding the lack of control, the Head of State insisted on reviewing contracts with farmers and ensuring that they are paid on time, and that they collect the crops with state companies, because otherwise the production goes from hand to hand and each one adds more to the price.
The best university extension
The stay of the President of the Republic on the Isle of Youth began this Thursday morning at the local higher education center “Jesús Montané Oropesa”.
Students and teachers gathered around the president in a lively dialogue that began with a question, which was the central theme: How is the University helping to solve the problems of the territory?
Researchers and producers who work together on agroecology projects made their way through the university community to get close to the president and explain how, through biological and natural inputs, they have made the land give birth to healthier crops and even increased part of the harvests.
One of them, the farmer Rafael Peña, told how before using bioinputs he had prejudices about these techniques. Today he excitedly recounted the increase in production in potato, taro, bonito and banana crops, which has increased the salary of his workers, who receive between 10 and 12 thousand pesos per month. Before, almost stopped, they waited for the arrival of fertilizers.
Computer science professor Arletis García García detailed aspects of the project they have been working on for several years: the development of applications to control Parkinson’s, one of the diseases that most affects an age group that is growing in Cuba: the elderly.
The professor particularly thanked Díaz-Canel for promoting digital transformation and helping to visualize information technology as one of the areas of knowledge that can most help simplify processes.
The best university extension – the political leader specified – is the link to the productive sector of goods and services, helping with knowledge to solve problems, without neglecting that economic and social research projects must go hand in hand.
There is potential for Pinero food sovereignty
“A good experience!” said President Díaz-Canel after speaking with Daniel García, a 37-year-old producer from Pinar del Río. The phrase, which was accompanied by a handshake, was humbly responded to by the farmer: “Thank you, President, for coming here.”
This recognition came about because the young man, through hard work, who started out as a university organizer and advisor, has managed to make the name of his farm no longer seem like a distant utopia.
“La Esperanza” was filled with marabou after the plague that affected the citrus. Today, on 5 caballerías, it has various crops, bull fattening, milk production and benefits from an underground irrigation system, which for a long time remained unused.
The will and sacrifice of Daniel García – Díaz-Canel reflected – shows that there is a productive potential that can satisfy the food demands of the Island
When better times come, he added, we cannot return to the import mentality.
Pinera aquaculture in the process of recovery
Aquaculture is one of the economic activities that distinguishes the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud. Older residents remember the large productions of yesteryear that were exported to the archipelago. During previous visits to the town, Díaz-Canel has insisted on the recovery of the infrastructure, and today he was able to evaluate the first advances.
The president, together with the First Secretary of the municipal committee of the Party, Osbel Lorenzo Rodríguez, and the president of the Municipal Assembly of People’s Power, Ernesto Rafael Licea, arrived at the UEB “Acuisla”, an entity that is in the process of restoring its capacities with a view to diversifying the species; previously they only cultivated claria.
Today they have 12 reservoirs and 12 micro-dams in which they have stocked 7.5 million fingerlings. Recapture will take place between September and October. For this stage – the dignitary indicated – the industry must be ready to receive and process all this raw material and create varieties of products.
The dignitary was told about the new vigor of the UEB Acuisla. The entity that distributed profits to its workers – three times – in 2023, has also dedicated itself to agricultural work. On 5 hectares they now produce various crops to satisfy the demands of their employees and contribute to feeding a nursery school and a primary school.
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