Cuba is participating as a partner country in the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi, focused on strengthening parliaments for people-centered development.

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Ana María Mari Machado, vice president of the National Assembly of People’s Power, held bilateral meetings prior to the start of the general sessions, representing the Caribbean island.

In dialogue with Om Birla, speaker of India’s Lok Sabha (lower house), both parties assessed the deepening of legislative exchange, capacity building and cooperation in sectors such as healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry.

RELATED: Cuba’s Pediatric Leukemia Survival Rate Falls Below 50% Due to U.S. Blockade

The leader of the Indian legislature highlighted the relevance of parliamentary dialogue for strengthening ties of friendship between both nations.

On 26–27 October 2026, New Delhi will host the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, bringing together parliamentary delegations for meaningful deliberations on democratic governance, institutional innovation and development that places people at its centre.#BRICS2026… pic.twitter.com/3cRn08jdPR

— Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (@MIB_India) October 26, 2026

During the meetings, the Cuban delegation set out the impact of the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States, with special emphasis on the energy siege that directly affects the well-being of the population and the national economy.

The delegation also reiterated its interest in moving from partner country status to full member state of BRICS, reaffirming its commitment to work closely with the group for the benefit of the peoples of the Global South.

Cuba’s pediatric leukemia survival rate has fallen below 50% due to the intensified U.S. economic, commercial, financial and energy blockade, the president of the Cuban Society of Hematology, Olga Agramonte, denounced.

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Cuban medicine had historically guaranteed survival rates of between 89% and 90% in pediatric patients, a figure now collapsing because of the impossibility of acquiring essential oncology drugs, diagnostic means and timely treatments, according to the report.

Agramonte denounced that the policy of asphyxiation considerably reduced cure and transplant rates and said the Caribbean nation faced severe obstacles to purchasing medical supplies due to the veto of bank accounts and sanctions on financial entities.

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The specialist further warned that the crisis also deteriorated care for benign diseases associated with pregnancy and reduced blood donation, driven by complex living conditions and power outages, and said that although Cuban doctors adapted treatments, the pathologies responded to strict protocols and therapeutic timelines.

16000 personas en #Cuba necesitan radioterapia y 12000 quimioterapia.Lo han reconocido ONU y OMS.Dichos tratamientos requieren electricidad estable y Cuba, por el cerco energético,sufre prolongados apagones. El bloqueo no causa cáncer,pero obstaculiza tratamiento d la enfermedad pic.twitter.com/KSRKyZ3S1d

— Anayansi Rodríguez Camejo (@AnayansiRCamejo) October 26, 2026

During the twenty-second Civil Society Forum against the blockade, organized by the Cuban United Nations Agency, civil society representatives exposed the widespread impact of these coercive measures on the National Healthcare System.

The head of the Department of International Organizations of the Ministry of Public Healthcare, José Armando Arronte, detailed that the surgical waiting list exceeded 100,000 patients, of whom 12,000 were minors.

The U.S. siege also affects ambulance transport and the wear and tear on health personnel in the face of blackouts and resource scarcity, allowing the country to guarantee only 30% of the medicines on its basic list, according to the report.