Cuba to provide its expertise in health and sports to help Kerala grow in the sectors

Kerala and Cuba on Thursday agreed to cooperate with each other in the fields of health and sports, a collaboration which is aimed at improving these sectors of the state.

The decision to cooperate with each other in these two sectors was arrived at in the meetings between Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and top Cuban officials in the health and sports fields, a statement issued by the CM's office (CMO) said.

In the meeting held with senior health officials of Cuba, the CM and the delegation led by him said that the Cuban health system was world-renowned in the fields of public health care, tropical medicine, neuroscience research, molecular immunology and cancer treatment, the CMO statement said.

The meeting was held with the president of BioCubaFarma, a Cuban organisation of Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries, Eduardo Martínez Díaz, Director General of the National Center for Neurosciences (CNEURO) Dr Mitchell Valdes Sosa and Director General of the Center for Molecular Immunology (CIM) Eduardo Ojito Magus in Havana, it said.

During the discussions, the delegation from Kerala noted that Cuban biotechnology and pharmaceuticals have made great strides in producing drugs and medical devices with international standards and therefore, cooperation in this sector would lead to impressive changes in the state's health sector, the statement said.

Vijayan, during the discussions, welcomed global participation and investment in health-related sectors and expressed interest in establishing a vaccine manufacturing facility in Kerala in collaboration with BioCubaFarma, it said.

The CM assured the Cuban officials that conditions will be created for cooperation and continuous exchange of ideas between health institutions in Cuba and Kerala and expressed hope that the relationship in this sector can be maintained for a long time through annual workshops and other acti, the CMO statement said.

A working group will be formed with officials from Kerala and Cuba for further steps and it will be headed by the Principal Secretary of the Health Department in Kerala, it said.

The Chief Minister also said that a Cuban delegation led by experts will be invited to Kerala for further discussions regarding the health, research and construction sectors, the statement said.

Regarding the cooperation in the sports sector, Vijayan was of the view that it would help in growth of sports in Kerala, it said.

In the meeting with Raul Fornes Valenciano, Vice President of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation in Cuba, an agreement was reached on providing Cuban assistance for growth of Kerala's sports sector, the statement said.

''It was agreed to take necessary decisions as soon as possible to bring coaches from Cuba to train Kerala athletes in volleyball, judo and track-and-field events.

''Possibilities of organising online chess matches between Kerala and Cuba were also explored and the CM also expressed interest in sending Kerala athletes to Cuba for training,'' the CMO statement said.

Valenciano, while speaking of Cuba's willingness to cooperate in the development of sports in Kerala, also discussed with Vijayan the possibility of exchange programmes, it said.

Vijayan, who is on a tour to the US and Cuba, reached the Latin American nation for a two-day visit on Thursday.

He is accompanied by Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal, State Health Minister Veena George and senior bureaucrats.

Vijayan and the delegation led by him were received at the Jose Marti International Airport in Havana by the Deputy Governor of Havana and the Indian Ambassador to Cuba, a CMO statement said.

Vijayan will be meeting various dignitaries and visiting places of historical importance, including the Jose Marti Memorial, during his two-day trip to Cuba, the statement said.

He had left for Cuba on Wednesday after concluding his nearly week-long US visit.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)