José Ángel Portal Miranda is a Cuban doctor born in Cuba in 1968 who has served 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 role as Minister of Health, he served as the 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 manages one of the most affected areas in the country due to the shortage of medications that the island has been facing for years. This shortage reached critical levels in the last year (2019-2020), impacting the dispensing of medicines for chronic patients and the elderly who endure, without guarantees, endless lines from early morning 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 noticeable deterioration of the Cuban Public Health System. The population continually denounces through their social media the deplorable condition of hospitals, polyclinics, and health centers, as well as the increasing number of medical negligence cases in recent years due to a lack of resources and organization.
Portal Miranda, as Minister, has also been responsible for the management of the return of two Cuban doctors who were kidnapped on April 12, 2019, in Kenya, with no results yet.
