Quito - The Government Minister of Ecuador, María Paula Romo, announced the end of medical collaboration agreements between Cuba and this Andean country, where professionals from the Caribbean archipelago work in various health specialties.

'The government of Ecuador has decided to terminate the last agreement between the Ministries of Health of both countries (...) It means that agreements will not be renewed, there will be no new agreements in this modality between the Ministry of Health of Ecuador and the Ministry of Health of Cuba,' Romo said in statements to the press.

From the Carondelet Palace, headquarters of the presidency, the owner estimated at around 400 the places that will be vacant and will be filled, as advanced, mainly by Ecuadorian specialists.

'Those agreements will be replaced with the hiring of Ecuadorian doctors,' he reiterated.

The secretary of state insisted there will be more or less 400 available locations, in correspondence with the places currently occupied by Cuban experts in centers belonging to the Ministry of Public Health.

'At the beginning of the government (2017), there were many more, but little by little these agreements have been replaced by direct contracting positions. That is how we think it should be, 'he said.

Only if the places are not covered, can any type of alternative be analyzed, in order not to leave those in need of health services unprotected, he warned.

The Cuban Medical Mission in Ecuador became official after a visit to Havana by former President Rafael Correa in 2013.

However, since 2006 specialists in ophthalmology came to this South American nation with Miracle Mission, to attend and operate on people with various ailments.

Cuba also collaborated in the Manuela Espejo program, which since mid-2009, was responsible for counting and diagnosing people with disabilities throughout the country.

On the other hand, specialists from this country have graduated from Cuban universities in recent years, especially in medical careers and millions of Ecuadorians thank Caribbean professionals for their services, which in addition to having high quality, are characterized by being human.