On November 5, officials from the Italian city of Turin welcomed Cuban Deputy Minister of Public Health Julio Guerra Izquierdo to the Musy Hall of the Civic Palace for a meeting that aimed to reaffirm bilateral solidarity amid the ongoing U.S. economic, commercial, and financial blockade against Cuba. The discussion, which also involved Turin’s Deputy Mayor Michela Favaro and President of the City Council Maria Grazia Grippo, centered on the ramifications of the blockade for the Cuban healthcare system and plans for continued cooperation.
During the meeting, Guerra Izquierdo highlighted the difficulties faced by Cuban hospitals, noting that frequent power‑supply interruptions hinder the operation of numerous facilities. He also reflected on his earlier leadership of the Cuban “Henry Reeve” medical brigade, which had provided services in Turin during the initial phase of Italy’s COVID‑19 emergency. The presence of his brigade’s former colleagues was visible in a commemorative display photographed by the local press.
Grippo recalled a resolution passed by the Turin City Council in March, calling for international support for the Cuban people in the face of the blockade’s effects on oil supplies and the exacerbated energy crisis in the Caribbean nation. The resolution was endorsed in a public vote and is still in force, serving as a point of reference for the city’s current aid initiatives.
One of the key projects discussed was a medicine collection initiative, co‑led by the Agency for Cultural and Economic Exchange with Cuba (AICEC) and Turin’s municipal pharmacies. The program aims to gather pharmaceutical supplies for distribution across the Cuban population and has been active for several weeks. The partnership was first announced by CittAgora, a Turin City Council publication, on its Facebook page, where it highlighted the therapeutic contribution of the Cuban brigade to Italian hospitals.
The meeting also covered the procurement of an emergency electric generator for a hospital in Contramaestre, a town in the eastern Cuban province of Santiago de Cuba. The generator, scheduled for shipment in the coming days, is intended to mitigate the frequent power outages that compromise patient care in the region. The initiative is part of a broader effort to ensure that Cuba’s healthcare infrastructure can continue functioning despite the blockade’s strain on supplies.
After the private talks, a public event titled “Healing Under Siege: The Blockade and the Cuban Healthcare System” took place. The agenda featured a panel with Deputy Minister Guerra Izquierdo, neurosurgeon Peggys Cruz Pérez, AICEC representative Roberto Forte, and Giorgia Vernetti of the “Let Cuba Breathe” initiative. The session looked at the broader implications of the blockade on health outcomes and reinforced the commitment of the Italian municipal community to support Cuba’s medical infrastructure.
In short, the gathering reaffirmed Turin’s longstanding solidarity with Cuba, building on past cooperation and extending tangible aid in the form of medicine collection and power infrastructure support. The statements from city leaders and the Cuban delegation emphasize that, in spite of diplomatic tensions, practical humanitarian collaboration can continue to benefit both communities.
