Category: CEESE

Cuba exchange attracts students and professionals from all around the world. During last year there were requestsfromthe UK, Holland, Belgium Danmark, Italy, Luxembourg and Indonesia.

Not without reason: a student from University of Leicester UK recently back from his elective at Havana’s Calixto Garcia and Central Havana Pediatric Hospital was clear : “Interacting with Cuban medical students and involvement in medical student seminars was a great learning opportunity to see how they are taught and to be able to share my knowledge. and perspective.”.”Doctor Kenia in the consultorio was very welcoming and would always be willing to discuss different topics when she had time. It was a good exposure to the problems that patients present with in primary care”. In the meantime our English colleague from CME Natalie Howard https://cubamedicalelectives.net/prepared two more students from New Zealand for their Havana internship started last month.

Do you want to make a group programme for nurses, medical students, residents, professionals or combinations ? We can support you with our experience and network (contact ppmjonas@gmail.com )

In an on-line meeting last July 9, Cuban scientist and project leader at Havana Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) dr. Julio Cesar Aguilar (photo above left) introduced to us HEBERNASVAC.

A novel Cuban vaccine administered bynosespray (instead of injections) which immunizes against Hepatitis B and has good perspectives to definitive cure of chronic Hepatitis B, cause of much liver cancer or cirrhose. Dr. Aguilar explained the broader effect and had proved it to be superior to, and much cheeper than usual therapy It is of major importance for developing countries with basal medical infrastructure (worldwide 254 million people suffer chronic HBV). Prof. Jan Nouwen (Erasmus University Rotterdam, photo above right) and prof. Emily Morris (University College London, photo above middle) were interested to explore starting trials in their Medical Universities.

In the same meeting, Miriam de Leede Nurse Practitioner and PhD-candidate at Buurtzorg Netherlands (organisation of 950 nurse teams) , explained about methods, strategy and implementation of their Cuba inspired innovative neighborhood prevention program. Based on proposals from local resident-groups , 28 “self-steering” nurse-teams with local residents “in the lead”, realize concrete actions for better health in their neighborhood. A promising and novel approach of community medicine .Prof.Imti Choonara > editor at BMJ Pediatrics Open, offered to support it when it comes to a publication.

Recently Dutch dr.Menne Bartelsman (Public Health dept. Amsterdam) who did an internship in ENSAP and Pero Kouri Institute in Havana last year, finished his research comparing Cuban and Dutch vaccination programmes for childern. He concluded the Cuban programmme superior in organization and effects. (Dutch version can be requested from ppmjonas@gmail.com )

Representatives of European Union and Cuba recently started secret talks about measures how to circumvent US blockade.Details were not given but tone has changed from smalltalk to concrete action. To put further pressure on the US-government for the same purpose, our CEESEnetwork – among many countries and organisations – sent a letter to Mr. Biden. You may read a recap here https://www.prensa-latina.cu/2024/07/02/medicos-neerlandeses-reclaman-sacar-a-cuba-de-lista-sobre-terrorismo/ Also the US national association of lawyers, AAJ, turns against their own government https://www.plenglish.com/news/2024/07/02/association-of-jurists-calls-for-end-to-us-aggression-against-cuba/ as well as a group of United Nations Human Rights experts plead lifting the US blocqeo against Cuba https://lnkd.in/eqbhr6vx Meanwhile concrete solidarity with Cuba is growing. Some examples : the Government of India (90 tons of raw material to produce antibiotics), the Spanish SODePAZ, (solar energy, manufacturing of biological insecticides), our CEESE network members: UK based CricketCIC (solar and other clean energy), Swiss MedicubaEuropa (pacemakers), CubaVive (antibiotics,painkillers) and CubaAdelante (schoolfurniture) among others. Specially we mention here Dutch Buurtzorg fund “Stichting Maja” that donated vital parts (transducers) for the echo device of the Mother and Child Hospital in Banes. That it meant more than only a technical gift proved the first lines in the local newspaper: “Love produces wonder, said the singer, and that love that transcends boundaries and fills good souls, was present in Banes Maternal and Child Hospital.” Need we say more?

the transporters, the director, and the major were also present at the ceremony.

Source: Ceese Bulletin nr. 21 - May 2024

Despite economic crisis, Cuban scientists continue to surprise us. Our British colleagues announce that UC London School of Pharmacy and Cuba’s leading research centre C-NEURO will start pre-clinical trials with the promising Alzheimer therapeutic CNEURO-201, a molecule that disagregates amloïde plaques (proteïnes that pile up in brain) and prevents to stick amyloïds together.

Another product,Heberferon, has proved safe and effective in treating highrisk skin cancer in Cuba but needs clinical trials in other countries to bring it on the market there. Our British friends of CRICKET CIC succeeded to arrange that in the UK https://www.cricketcic.net/ Perhaps a good idea for other european universities to partner with BioCubaFarma to bring another of their innovative products to Europe https://www.nature.com/articles/d43747-020-00522-5 Characteristic for the atmosphere under scientists, here a quote of my friend Julio Cesar Aguilar from CIGB: “There are two options: to fight or surrender. As always, Cubans are no people of second options ”.