A donation of medical equipment from the government of Japan, which will contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, will benefit hospitals in all the provinces of the country, reports Juventud Rebelde.

Dr. José Angel Portal Miranda, Minister of Public Health, expressed his gratitude for this gesture of solidarity and stressed that deep feelings of brotherhood and a path of solid diplomatic relations distinguish the ties that unite the two nations.

The solidarity aid, which includes 13 mobile X-rays, 44 ultrasounds and 1,000 vacuum cleaners, will have a great impact on the health services offered to the Cuban population.

Portal Miranda affirmed that in the midst of the difficult international context caused by SARS-CoV-2, Japan has been one of the nations that has contributed the most to Cuba by making important donations to the National Public Health System.

Of special significance, Portal Miranda acknowledged, were the medical equipment and spare parts sent to 34 hospitals, with the aim of strengthening specialties such as Pathological Anatomy, Imaging and Endoscopy.

The head of Public Health said that this donation is a sign of the continuous strengthening of relations between the countries.

Hirata Kenji, Japan's ambassador to Cuba, said that this medical equipment is another sign of the solidarity felt by the Japanese people with the Cuban people.

Kenji said that the two nations coincide in recognizing the importance of access to quality medical service, so this equipment, along with others already installed in hospitals and polyclinics in the largest of the Antilles, will contribute to improving people's access to medical service.

The donation is part of the non-refundable financial aid of the Economic and Social Development Program of the Government of Japan for Cuba, signed in 2016, during the visit of the then Prime Minister, Mr. Shinzo Abe.