On Tuesday, the Cuban government acknowledged the food shortage and the small family doctor presence as deficiencies in the Family Care System (SAF).
In a meeting of the government commission to respond to demographic dynamics, the head of the Ministry of Domestic Trade (MINCIN), Betsy Díaz Velázquez, said that the insufficient delivery of the food industry, the instability of the planned assortments, and non-compliance with local delivery The productions are one of the main shortcomings of the program, according to the state press.
He also pointed out the lack of attention and demand “from government authorities and economic actors who have responsibility for the program.”
Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz led the search for alternatives by the territorial government to guarantee a balanced diet and stability of supplies in the gastronomic units that offer the service.
According to the Minister of Internal Trade, the SAF, which was created in 1998, is not only designed to provide food but also to promote educational activities, entertainment, and social recognition. However, the realization of this goal is affected by the limited collaboration of cultural advocates and teachers of physical culture and the small presence of the family doctor and nurse for health prevention, he acknowledged.
In the meeting, it came out that the SAF serves more than 59,000 Cubans. However, many more may need to be part of the program, given the growing extreme poverty in Cuba.
Many reports in the DIARIO DE CUBA show the rise of poverty and street beggars.
According to the Minister of Internal Trade, in the 1,445 gastronomic units that are part of the SAF and spread throughout the 168 municipalities of the country, services are provided to the elderly, people with disabilities, social cases, and others. without enough income and a lack of family members, is obligated to provide assistance.
In 2021, the implementation of the ordering task will cause an increase in the price of food items offered as part of the SAF. The answer of the Minister of Labor and Social Security of Cuba, Marta Elena Feitó, to the criticism generated by the price increase is that the SAF is not “a service aimed at people who do not have enough income.”
“It’s aimed at people who have limitations in preparing food independently,” he said.
The categories of SAF beneficiaries mentioned by the head of MINCIN show that Feitó is wrong or that extreme poverty has risen in Cuba in such a way that the government has to include people with insufficient income in the SAF, and a lack of family members is obliged to help them.
