Introduction:

Cuban medical solidarity arrives in Timor-Leste two years after its independence, with a badly damaged health infrastructure and practically no doctors available to guarantee basic health services.

Objective:

Analyze the contribution of Cuban medical solidarity in improving the health status of Timor-Leste´s population in the period 2004-2019.

Methods:

A qualitative research was carried out, which was based on the descriptive and retrospective study and the ethnographic method was applied. The study period spanned 15 years, from 2004 to 2019.

Conclusions:

Cuban medical solidarity in Timor-Leste, during these 15 years, has contributed to modify the health picture that the country had when it achieved its independence in 2002, becoming one of the countries with the best indicators in the Oceania Region. Medical assistance and the training of students in Cuba and in Timor-Leste itself are decisive elements of Cuba's cooperation in the transformation and strengthening of the Timorese health system, which are essential factors in achieving universal health coverage.

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