Scope of Cuban policies and vaccination programs in light of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Health is a right of every Cuban citizen, and the State is responsible for guaranteeing it. In particular, vaccination programs in Cuba reveal results from more developed countries, which were evident in the recent period following the control of the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of the article is to analyze the scope of vaccination policies and programs in Cuban public health. The theoretical methods used were historical-logical, analysis-synthesis, induction-deduction, and the empirical analysis of various bibliographic references. A characterization of the background of vaccination in Cuba and its evolution is carried out. The evolution of the Cuban vaccination program from 1961 to the present is described, with emphasis on the importance of the vaccines created to control the COVID-19 pandemic. The scope of immunization policies is exposed; the work of Camagüey health personnel, specialists, and the general progress of this field of science is pointed out. Cuban public policies contribute to generating and maintaining the concatenation of integrated efforts, the results achieved in the integration between basic research and clinical, epidemiological research; and in addition, the conceptual and technological development of new vaccines. In this context, the starting point is an eminently preventive approach to medicine, based on national scientific capacity with worldwide recognition.