Cuban Pediatric Society Congress Celebrates Medical Success
On January 26, the Cuban Pediatric Society concluded its annual Congress and celebrated the 90th anniversary of the organization.
The event, held at Havana’s Convention Center, had the participation of more than 400 specialists, 325 Cuban pediatricians and more than 100 representatives from the United States, Qatar, Mexico, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Colombia and the European Union.
As with much of Cuba’s medical care, this event focused on the preventive aspects of medical care, the problems that can affect the health of infants and adolescents and how to maintain those who are already healthy.
The event included more than 130 separate presentations. It also included a special award in tribute to Angel Arturo Aballi (1880-1952), the founder of the Cuban Pediatric Society.
This year, the Congress had one other significant milestone to note. As a result of this group’s diligent work and the care of all in the Cuban health care system, in 2017 the country celebrated having what is among the lowest infant mortality rates in the world – only 4.1 deaths for every 1,000 live births, compared to 5.82 in the U.S., which claims to have the world's most advanced medical system.
As Cuba’s Minister of Public Health, Roberto Morales, said in a separate statement about that metric, “This is a milestone that reflects the integration of the entire health care system in the country, which is about lives saved, quality of life, happiness and satisfaction for our people.” Behind the remarkable infant mortality number is the elimination of diseases such as poliomyelitis, diphtheria and tetanus. Transmission of debilitating illnesses such as whooping cough, measles, rubella and mumps is actively managed to minimize any possibility of newborns catching the diseases.
