José Ángel Portal Miranda is a Cuban doctor born in Cuba in 1968 who has been serving as Minister of Public Health since July 21, 2018. Portal Miranda is a First and Second Degree Specialist in Comprehensive General Medicine, a Second Degree Specialist in Health Organization and Administration, and holds a Master's degree in Successful Longevity.
He is also a Deputy to the National Assembly of People's Power.
Before his position as Minister of Health, he served as deputy director and provincial director of Health in Pinar del Río (since 1996), national director of Hospital Services, and deputy minister of Medical and Social Assistance at the Ministry of Public Health. He is a member of the Central Committee of the PCC.
Portal Miranda oversees one of the hardest-hit sectors in the country due to the ongoing shortage of medications that the island has been facing for years. This scarcity has reached critical levels in the past year (2019-2020), impacting the availability of medicine for chronic patients and the elderly, who endure, without any guarantees, endless lines starting in the early morning just to obtain their medications.
On the other hand, there is significant public discontent with the management of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) led by Portal due to the notable deterioration of the Cuban Public Health System. The population constantly reports through social media the deplorable state of hospitals, polyclinics, and health centers, as well as the increasing number of medical negligence cases in recent years caused by a lack of resources and organization.
As Minister, Portal Miranda has also been tasked with managing the return of two Cuban doctors who were kidnapped on April 12, 2019, in Kenya, with no results yet.
