This page of the Cuba Solidarity Web Site is devoted to providing news on developments in Cuba's uniquely resourceful health care system.
Perhaps the most important lesson that can come from studying public health in Cuba is the level of creativity, innovation and success that can be brought to bear to the benefit of a population's health through a simple but fundamental decision to make healthcare one of the highest priorities of a society and an economy.
HAVANA JOURNAL
To Latin Neighbors, Cuba Plays the Good Doctor
By DAVID GONZALEZ
HAVANA -- Nieves Dinora graduated from high school in Nicaragua with good grades and no prospects. Since her father, a farmer, had no money to send her to college, she figured marriage and motherhood were her only options. "Like many of my friends there, I thought I would take the nine-month career," she said. "It does not cost anything, just nine months. Easy, no?"
But rather than having babies, Ms. Dinora is now learning how to deliver them.
She is among 1,900 students at the Latin American School of Medical Sciences who are enrolled in a six-year program that is a unique twist on the old concept of overseas medical schools. While many people think a Caribbean campus is the last-ditch resort for foreign students with fat wallets but slim grades, this one is the exact opposite, giving full scholarships to smart youths from poor rural areas in 18 Latin American and Caribbean countries.
The medical school is the Cuban government's response to the devastation from Hurricanes Georges and Mitch, which ripped through the region in 1998, killing thousands as they destroyed villages and spawned public health problems. While Cuba sent medical teams to help, officials realized that it would be better in the long run to help educate a new generation of doctors who would return to their impoverished countries and work in remote communities where medical care was spotty and expensive.
"Life has shown us some lessons that we cannot forget," said Juan Carizo Estévez, the school's rector. "That is the necessity of the right to health care that these countries have. We have a responsibility that these students return to their own countries with a solid foundation for dealing with the problems of public health they will find."
The new medical school is the culmination of the Cuban government's decades of reliance on its reputation as a medically advanced society to burnish its international image. Starting in 1963, when it sent a team of doctors and nurses to Algeria, the government has gone on to establish medical schools in the third world, send thousands of Cuban doctors for long-term overseas assignments and offer scholarships to study alongside Cuban students in the island's medical schools.
Medical aid was as important an aspect of President Fidel Castro's aid to the third world as his nation's training of guerrilla and terrorist groups was during the cold war. While cold-war conflicts have died down, Cuba's latest experiment in medical education is still tinged with the passions from that era.
"By doing good, particularly in the field of health and education, Cuba would look better than the United States," said Julie Feinsilver, author of "Healing the Masses" (Berkeley, 1993), which examined the role of health care in Cuba's foreign and domestic policy. "This is a symbolic war, not that the U.S. looks at it that way. But Fidel said when he finished the revolution, his real destiny was war against the U.S. The war is not a material war, but a symbolic war. Anything that Cuba does that enhances its prestige on the world stage, which medical diplomacy and providing scholarships does, is a battle won for Cuba versus the United States."
The school's very location is a sign of the changing battleground -- it occupies 82 blue-and-white buildings that hug the ocean along the campus of what was an academy for naval officers and merchant mariners.
Students were selected through tests and interviews and are mostly chosen by their home countries. The first contingent, from Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador, the areas hit hardest by the hurricanes, arrived almost a year ago.
Cuban officials said they started the school as a gesture of international good will, and that they did not intend to politicize the students. Still, many students spoke about how many doctors in their countries were interested only in making money while the poor languished and children died from preventable diseases, echoing a common Cuban critique of modern medicine.
Edmundo Blandón, 20, recalled how his mother in Nicaragua suffered from pains for years, being told all the time that she only had a kidney infection. Unable to see a specialist, she suffered and waited for two years until her daughter took a loan from a co-worker.
"As a child, you see how in your family there are needs for a doctor to help you," Mr. Blandón said. "When she was 59, she finally learned she had advanced cancer. She could not have had the medical tests done earlier, because we did not have the money."
She died soon after he enrolled in the school.
"She had felt bad because she thought I would leave this school because of her," he said. "But she told me that in the first place, nothing could be done for her. So, if I was left alone with nobody to look after, I should take advantage of this opportunity."
The students begin with six months of pre-medical studies in basic sciences like physics, chemistry and biology. They proceed to two years studying embryology, biochemistry and other medical subjects, followed by four years studying and working in Cuban hospitals and clinics.
Teachers said they follow a curriculum that combines textbook lessons with practical experience, with an emphasis on problem solving and preventive care. It hews to the Cuban approach to health care, which stresses community-based medicine and public health.
Although students from the same country live together in dormitories to ease their homesickness, the classes have a cross section of races and ethnicities, including a significant number of Indian youths from Central America. Some students encounter other ethnic groups from their own nation for the first time at the school.
This month, 1,500 more students will arrive at the school, which expects to enroll some 5,000 students ultimately. Already, workers have been preparing new dormitories and lecture halls.
The students, like those everywhere, grouse that the grind is rough, leaving them with little free time. But considering where they came from, many said it was a small sacrifice for the chance to become a professional instead of a cabdriver or farmer.
Norlan López spent his high school years in Nicaragua getting up at 4 in the morning to work as a fisherman. He was still doing that when he was accepted into medical school.
"I had more pressure on me when I was in high school," he said.
"It was a hard life that I would not wish on anyone. That is why I am happy to be here."
Washington, January 3(RHC)-- A reader of the New York Times has challenged the U.S. government to show infant mortality rates similar to those gained by Cuba.
In reference to an article that appeared in the New York Times on December 29th, concerning the island's performance regarding infant mortality, David Barrigan, who resides in Albany, California, noted that not a single word in the entire article referred to the U.S. government's performance in that area of health.
Barrigan recalled that the infant mortality rate registered in the United States in 1997 was 7.2 for every 1000 live-births. He added that Cuba -- although a poor, Third World nation -- has continued reducing its infant mortality rate from 7.1 in 1998 to 6.5 in 1999.
The New York Times reader wonders how it could possibly be that the United States -- presumably the world's only superpower -- has not been able to compete with Cuba's infant mortality rate. The answer, he says, can be found in the failure by U.S. authorities to develop a national health insurance program as well as the inadequate and insufficient resources earmarked for preventive medicine.
[c] 1999 Radio Habana Cuba All rights reserved
Havana, January 4(RHC)-- Cuba has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world -- registering 6.4 for every one thousand live births. According to an article in this morning4s Granma newspaper, this figure is the lowest in Cuban history.
The news daily pointed out that the reduced infant mortality rate is the result of the selfless and hard work of the island4s health professionals.
Tuesday's Granma daily also says that during 1999, 104 more infants were saved than the previous year -- adding that for the first time in history, all of the island's provinces registered less than eight. Villa Clara heads the island's provinces with less than five for every one thousand live births.
Only 20 countries have an infant mortality rate lower than Cuba's, where infant and children's mortality figures as well as the maternal death rate were also reduced during 1999.
© Copyright GRANMA INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL EDITION. La Havana. Cuba
EVERY day, relations between Cuba and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) are becoming closer and more fluid, affirmed Felipe Pérez Roque on his return from a 14-day tour of 10 of those nations, during which he met with their leaders and signed major agreements.
Cuba plans to increase its contribution of doctors and other health professionals to the English-speaking Caribbean, in addition to receiving young people from that region in its universities. The island will also engage in reciprocal cooperation in the economic field and in the battle against drugs and crime in general.
The foreign minister stated that many people had expressed their gratitude for Cuban cooperation over the years, as a result of which over 1,000 students from these small countries have graduated from the island's universities.
He noted that a further 1,400 students from the CARICOM nations are currently studying in Cuban higher educational institutions, and some 200 will enroll this year, although there are no fixed quotas for this community. "The indication we have from Fidel is to make every effort to receive all the students that the Caribbean countries wish to send," Pérez Roque stated.
He confirmed that in the countries he visited he encountered total comprehension among governments and public opinion of the right of Elián's father and grandparents to demand his return, and of the right of their compatriots to support them wholeheartedly.
In the Bahamas, the final leg of the Cuban foreign minister's tour, he signed an agreement permitting the transfer of prisoners between the two states, to serve their sentences in their country of origin, and discussed the issue of investment promotion and protection.
In talks between the Cuban leader and his Bahamian counterpart, Jane Hostwick, both sides advocated strengthening relations in areas such as sports, culture, health and tourism, among others.
The two delegations also discussed the need to work together on multi-destination tourism within the entire region, so as to become allies rather than competitors in tourism.
The upcoming opening of a Cuban consulate in the Bahamas was also announced, as part of the increased number of Cuban diplomatic offices in the Caribbean recently referred to by the Cuban foreign minister.
Guyana's weak health care infrastructure will be reinforced-at the request of that country's authorities-with 20 additional Cuban doctors and other health specialists who will work in public hospitals and other remote health centers, Pérez Roque announced during his two-day visit there.
This brings to 39 the total number of medical professionals assigned to that nation.
The Cuban foreign minister's tour covered St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas.
Editorial office: redac@granmai.get.cma.net Business officeL: gi@granmai.get.cma.net
The medical education project "Classrooms Without Borders" is now a reality in Cuba with the official inauguration on April 19 in Havana of the first 12 courses of Cuba's Public Health Virtual University. Thirty additional courses are expected to be added to the curriculum during 1999.
Cuba continues to take advantage of the developments in the areas of telecommunications and informatics to promote and facilitate the continuous training of Cuban health professionals and technicians who will receive current scientific and technical information via the Virtual University.
These new "virtual classrooms" are being started in the computer laboratories of Cuba's 21 medical schools and four dental schools, which are located throughout a country in which each province has at least one medical school. Additionally, 50 municipalities are gearing up to participate in the project with the development of " meeting sites" or "sites of presence". The development of these sites as well as the required technological infrastructure have the support of UNICEF, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). "Distance learning" will be available in practically every corner of the country through INFOMED, Cuba's Public Health Informatics Network.
The inauguration of the virtual university took place in the National Medical Library. The library has 15 modern computers which allow users access to medical information resources, both in Cuba and abroad, a service available through INFOMED as well as the library's own Intranet. Course registration will be take place via electronic mail (infomed@sld.cu). The courses include: "Bronchial Asthma", "Genetics for Local Public Health Workers", "Bio-climatic Architecture and Sustainable Development", "Basic Household Hygiene" and a course leading to a "Diploma in Medical Genetics" . To promote computer skills, courses are offered in "Computer Networks", "Windows 95" and "MSWord".
Furthermore, Doctor Jose Baudilio Jardines, Vice Minister for Medical Education of the Cuban Ministry of Public Health, announced that during the Medical Technology Fair "Health for All" (April 24, 1999) Cuba will inaugurate the National Telemedicine Network . This network will make possible the immediate transmission of clinical test results and secondary medical opinions to remotely located professionals. The network will allow the sharing of graphic images such as X-rays, ultrasound pictures, CAT Scans, and pathology reports from biopsies. All this technology will allow to improve the quality of health care in Cuba.
The leading institution of the National Telemedicine Network is Hospital "Hermanos Ameijeiras" in Havana. This hospital is linked with key hospitals in the cities of Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Holguin and Santiago de Cuba.
Jose A. de la Osa
Havana.- Indian minister of state for foreign relations Vasundhara Raje arrived in Havana for an offical visit accompanied by a large Government delegation. The delegation will participate in the fourth Session of the joint commission for economic and scientific-technical Collaboration April 5-7 at the science, technology and environment Ministry. "I am accompanied by agriculture, health and foreign Relations specialists, who will develop a wide work agenda with their Cuban counterparts in order to achieve our goals," said Vasundhara Raje
Caracas.- The Venezuelan press highlighted the recent visit to Cuba Of first lady Maribel Rodriguez, particularly the granting to Venezuela of 100 scholarships for medical students. During her three- Day visit in Havana, on the occasion of the bicentennial anniversary of Simon Bolivar's stay in Havana, the wife of president Hugo Chavez Discussed the possibility of exchange programs between the two Countries, in the fields of medical-assistance, education and Agriculture, with the cuban authorities.
Sancti Spiritus.- Cuba is one of the few nations in the world where The genetic services, developed in the last 25 years using state-of- The-art technology and diagnostic methods, are offered to all the Population. Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) advisor Victor B. Pechaszadeh told Prensa Latina that the equality and educational work Existing in all parts of the island are the most important elements. "I have seen a real concern in Cuba because people decide about their Own descendent. All societies do not have the necessary resources to Offer these expensive genetic services."
*** 24-Mar-99 ***
Title: TRADE/HEALTH-JAMAICA: Looking to Cuba For Some Cures
By Eulalee Thompson
KINGSTON, Mar 24 (IPS) - As the cost of medical care and prescription drugs continue to rise here some local health facilities are looking to Neighbouring Cuba where much cheaper drugs can be had.
Only last week one of the largest pharmaceutical companies here, Lascelles Laboratories, had a major launch of a plan to start the importation of pharmaceutical supplies from Cuba.
Principals of the company say they will import in the first instance, a cholesterol-lowering drug made in Cuba called Ateromixol. The drug, a small, blue tablet, is made from the sugar cane wax which is found in the plant's rind or trash which many Jamaicans just throw out.
"We want to know that we can bring in drugs that have proven efficacy but yet still affordable for the Jamaican market and we will be working with the local medical community to visit Cuba and identify other medical products that can be brought back to Jamaica," said Paul Thomas, chief executive officer of Lascelles.
A supply of 30 Ateromixol tablets will be sold here for about 22 dollars compared to about 82 dollars for competing brands of cholesterol-lowering drugs imported from North America and Europe.
Dr. Knox Hagley, head of the University of the West Indies' Community Health and Psychiatric Department said that the anecdotal evidence here is that the drug successfully lowers the cholesterol level, which is a growing health concern as more and more persons develop the lifestyle-related illness.
"There are other drugs of course, which are effective in lowering the cholesterol but they might cause minor changes in the liver. There were no such side effects in the Ateromixol and this is why we are so interested in the drug," he said.
Another general practitioner here, Dr. L. Donovan Whyte, recently visited Cuba along with some of his colleagues on a fact-finding mission. He said that he observed that because of that country's inability to obtain foreign products, health officials were utilizing the best of alternative and conventional care in such areas as anesthesia, the treatment of fibroids, chronic leg ulcers and enlarged prostates.
All these less expensive techniques, Whyte hopes to make use of here.
"For anesthesia for example, the alternative is that ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture or electro-acupuncture. It is cheaper, requiring a one-time investment in the acupuncture equipment and can save lives since there is no risk associated with drug toxicity," he said.
Whyte said that there is enough documentary evidence to indicate that this method of putting patients "under" in preparation for surgery, works effectively.
"The implications here are vast in that there are many people who are allergic to anaesthetic medications...and using this method, we can save a lot of time and money," he said.
To treat enlarged prostate, Whyte said he is interested in some research being done on the pumpkin seeds. This product has the same constituents as the Saw palmetto, a berry from the African palm, which is not available here or in Cuba, but is already known in alternative medical care to be effective in reducing the size of enlarged prostate.
An extract of honey is being used in Cuba to treat leg ulcers. "Older folk here would be acquainted with this therapy because in the rural setting, the honey is used to speed up the healing process," Whyte said.
And since uterine fibroids are so prevalent among Jamaican women, the Cuban non-surgical treatment is of great interest to Whyte.
Fibroids are benign, non-cancerous tumors. Besides making pregnancy difficult, they have been blamed for many complications such as miscarriages and premature labour.
For years many Jamaican women have been reluctant to do a myomectomy - an operation involving the removal of the fibroids but leaving he uterus intact and the hysterectomy, an operation which involves the removal of the entire uterus - for fear of complications resulting from excessive bleeding.
Whyte says the application of acupuncture techniques along with the insertion of catgut over a period of time could result in the reduction in the size of the growths, but he admits that they would not disappear. (END/IPS/et/cb/99)
Origin: Rome/TRADE/HEALTH-JAMAICA/ ----
[c] 1999, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS) All rights reserved
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Subject: Press Release 115
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 PRESS RELEASE NRO. 115
GUATEMALA.- Guatemalan university leaders requested the San Carlos University to award Cuban President Fidel Castro an honorary degree for his contributions to education. Francisco Lopez, of the Guatemalan Association of University Students (AEU), told the press the initiative responds to the good academic performance of the Cuban students and the help Cuban doctors have given to Guatemala in the aftermath of hurricane Mitch. HAVANA.- Cuba and St. Kitts and Nevis will hold the first mutual joint commission, discussing mutual economic and technical cooperation in 11 sectors, including health, education, sports and agriculture. Officials from both countries met in St. Kitts and Nevis. Prime Minister Dr.Denzil L.Douglas chaired the meetings. The joint commission was set up in 1998 after the heads of state from both countries signed an agreement in Havana during Douglas' visit to Cuba.
HAVANA.- The organizing committee of the 9th International Medical Technology Fair "Health for All" held in Havana awarded gold medals to 38 of the 146 products on display. Seven of gold medal winners are manufactured in Cuba, including multi-channel digital electrocardiograph CARDIOCID-BS, manufactured by CombioMed.
HAVANA.- The Cuban firm MEDICUBA has confirmed its position as the nation's leading medicine exporting company, with a high pharmaceutical production in 14 plants. Over 900 pharmaceutical products, including antibiotics, eye drops, capsules and natural products, are distributed and sold in over 20 countries: Argentina, China, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil and Colombia, among others."
Havana, Wednesday, April 21, 1999 #111-#112.
Havana.- General practitioners, psychologists, nurses and social workers from over 30 countries confirmed their attendance to the Gerontovida 99 convention which will be held in Havana in November. Most of the professionals are coming from Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. Specialized associations from the region unanimously agreed on Cuba hosting the convention given the prestige of the island's health system and the attention granted to people over 60, which account for 13,1% of the whole cuban population.
Havana.- Pharmachem, a us-based pharmaceutical company is displaying its products at the "health for all" medical fair for the first time since the united states enforced its blockade of Cuba almost 40 years ago. Pharmachem manager Michael Doods said that after nine months of negotiations, his company was granted a license by the us department of the treasury to exhibit its pharmaceutical products at the Havana medical fair. Over 470 firms from 37 countries are attending the show, which will conclude on Friday. La Paz.- The population from about 40 Bolivian poor towns and neighborhoods was celebrating the trip of 70 young nationals to Cuba to study medicine. After several days of distress, the Bolivian sustainable development ministry's scholarship department released a communiqué stating that priority has been given to students from the poorest areas as long as they met the required student's performance.
LA PAZ.- Cuba's offer granting Bolivia 70 medical scholarships was highlighted by the Catholic newspaper Presencia and several Bolivian radio stations. The Cuban Ambassador to Bolivia, Raul Barzaga, confirmed the news. BEIJING.- Hospital directors from China and Cuba signed an agreement for cooperation and research in the fields of cardiology, surgery, urology and nephrology. Dr. Raul Gomez Cabrera, director of the Ameijeiras Brothers Hospital and Dr. Gao Dong Chen, from the Beijing Hospital, signed the agreement. The hospitals will exchange scientific and medical information and carry out joint research projects and surgical operations. The agreement includes exchange and joint research in heart surgery and angiology.
HAVANA.- The mortality rate for medical emergencies dropped from 35% to 22% after the Comprehensive Medical Emergency System was implemented in 1995, said Cuban Health Minister Carlos Dotres. During a masterly lecture given at the First Congress on Emergencies and Attention to People in Serious Conditions (URGRAV'99), Dotres said, thanks to this system, mortality during the transportation of patients in serious condition was also reduced from 0.7% in 1997 to 0.2% in 1998.
HAVANA.- Medical emergency expertise, all the way from the local community to the hospital's intensive care unit, is being shared by Cuban and other international authorities at an event which opened here yesterday. Attended by about 1,500 specialists from 40 countries, the 1st Congress on Emergencies and Attention to People in Serious Conditions (URGRAV'99) is addressing topics such as resuscitation in heart, lung or brain failure and accidents, brain protection, emergency systems, etc. The head of the congress' organizing committee, Dr. Alvaro Sosa Acosta, told the press that outstanding figures from Canada, the United States, Great Britain, Cuba and other countries will address interesting issues such as "the trained witness in the emergency situation."
HAVANA.- MEDICA'99, an event sponsored by the Cuba-Eurotop European Center of Business Cooperation from Belgium, will be held at the Palco Hotel from April 19-23. Sources from the Cuban Chamber of Commerce confirmed that thirteen companies from France, Germany, Spain and Ireland will attend the event. The agenda of this first meeting of the medical and pharmaceutical sectors will include visits to the "Health for All" International Show which will take place in Pabexpo at the same time.
PRESS RELEASE NO.110 HAVANA, TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 1999
The 9th International Medical Technology Fair "Health for All" opened yesterday in Havana with 474 firms from 37 countries attending. The Cuban Minister of Public Health, Carlos Dotres, said at the opening ceremony that the event will be an opportunity for signing new agreements and investments deals in this field. Trade relations between producers and consumers of health products will also be strengthened. The fair will close on April 23."
Cuban News from Havana/Cuban Interests Section
>April 21 , 1999/No. 44
Havana.- General practitioners, psychologists, nurses and social workers from over 30 countries confirmed their attendance to the Gerontovida 99 Convention which will be held in Havana in November. Most of the professionals are coming from Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. specialized associations from the region unanimously agreed on Cuba hosting the convention given the prestige of the island's health system and the attention granted to people over 60, which account for 13,1% of the whole Cuban population.
Havana.- Pharmachem, a US-based pharmaceutical company is displaying its products at the "Health for all" Medical Fair for the first time. Pharmachem manager Michael Doods said that after nine months of negotiations, his company was granted a license by the US department of the treasury to exhibit its pharmaceutical products at the Havana Medical Fair. Over 470 firms from 37 countries are attending the show, which will conclude on Friday.
Havana- The population from about 40 Bolivian poor towns and neighborhoods was celebrating the trip of 70 young nationals to Cuba to study medicine. After several days of distress, the Bolivian sustainable development ministry's scholarship department released a communiqué stating that priority has been given to students from the poorest areas as long as they met the required student's performance.
Cuban News from Havana/Cuban Interests Section
April 16, 1999/No. 42
Havana.- Experts of institutions related to the Cuban and British biotechnological and pharmaceutical industry met here to explore Cubas scientific potentialities and productive capacity. Dr. Blanca Tormo, of the Havana immunology center, told Prensa Latina the meeting addressed the scientific, research and production capacity of the Cuban scientific centers in order to promote and market future lines of development.
Havana..- Bolivia`s interest in the Cuban health system was expressed during an event on this topic that was attended by Cuban officials. The event took place during the 3rd Cuban book fair held at the municipal library of La Paz. A video tape on the Cuban health system was shown at the beginning of the meeting. Cuban Dr. Lazaro Vina, specialist in family medicine talked during the meeting. Cuban cultural and press attache, Ibis Alvisa, also attended the event.
PRESS RELEASE NRO. 105 HAVANA, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 1999
BANI, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.- Cuba has donated a polytechnic clinic to this city where Maximo Gomez was born. With a 500-student capacity and an area of 3500 square meters the center is built two kilometers from Bani, which Cuban President Fidel Castro officially visited in August, after participating in a summit of statesmen of the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORO).
HAVANA.- The Cuban surgical therapy for retinitis pigmentosa (a disease causing deterioration of the retina and disturbance to the nerves of the eye) continues to be successful, after twelve years of use of this method developed by Professor Orfilio Pelaez, the distinguished Cuban ophthalmologist. In statements to Prensa Latina, the director of the International Center of Retinitis Pigmentosa -known as Camilo Cienfuegos Clinic- said that more than 3000 people from 70 countries have received specialized assistance here over the last seven years. HAVANA.- Canadian firm MDS Nordion, producer of high tech medicines, awarded five Cuban institutions and individuals for outstanding results in the struggle against cancer. The Cuban Public Health Ministry, the National Program Against Cancer, the Vice-Ministers of Public Health, Ramon Diaz Vallina and Julian Garate, and scientist Rolando Camcho received the awards for their contribution in "the implementation of coherent policies of research, prevention and treatment of the illness".
SANCTI SPIRITUS, CUBA.- Last year showed such an increase in medical attention to the Cuban people as to mark a virtual recovery to previous levels, revealed Dr.Carlos Dotres, Minister of Public Health (MINSAP). Dotres told Prensa Latina that fewer than a million patients were seen in Cuban hospitals in 1998 because of the success of the Emergency System of Primary Health Care. The two year program extends to 70 municipalities (out of 169 in the country), and provides family medical offices, policlinics, hospitals and highly specialized ambulances.
HAVANA.- World-renowned neuroscientists and Cuban experts from the National Center of Scientific Research agreed to collaborate in the mapping of the human brain. This project will permit the study of the anatomic and functional characteristics of the brain through neuroimaging techniques, including electrocerebral tomography, the technique developed by the Cuban Center of Neurosciences. The electric cerebral tomograph created by Cuban experts is now in the process of validation in Canada, the United States, Mexico and Cuba. HAVANA.- Exclusive distributors of Havana cigars praised the quality of the Vegueros brand, during an international workshop to discuss the distribution strategy of Cuban tobacco in the year 2000, said the National Information Agency. Vegueros is produced in the province of Pinar del Rio (eastern Cuba) and entered the market in 1996 to satisfy the demands of the domestic market that operates in foreign currency. Small quantities of this cigar have been distributed abroad.
HAVANA.- Scientists from the Center of Genetic and Biotechnical Engineering demonstrated that the vaccine "GAVAC" is 99% efficient against a kind of chigger living in Central America, Africa and Asia: the boofilus annulatus. The creators of the vaccine emphasized that the vaccine does not aim to kill the parasite, but to steadily control the numbers in successive generations by reducing its reproductive capacity."
Gambia president says Cuba sending more doctors
Apr 10, 1999 Eastern
BANJUL, April 10 (Reuters) - Gambian President Yahya Jammeh returned home from a visit to Cuba on Saturday, saying that it had promised to send more doctors to his West African nation. ``Gambia and Cuba have signed bilateral cooperation (deals) in many fields - - health, education, tourism, agriculture and culture,'' he told reporters. ``There will be more Cuban doctors in the Gambia. Every health centre (will have) two Cuban doctors,'' he said, adding that Cuba would provide scholarships for Gambians to study medicine and nursing. At present, 20 Cuban doctors work in the former British colony.
Cuba -PRESS RELEASES NO. 99/100 Date: Thu, 8 Apr
Havana.- The expansion of a medical program between Cuba and the Ukraine was discussed by public health ministers in Havana, according To the national news agency. Ukrainian minister Raiza Vogotiriova and Her cuban counterpart Carlos Dotres analyzed the implementation of The cuban system of primary medical care in the Ukraine, due to an Increase of disease, mortality and morbidity rates in both children And adults there. In addition to the general system, Vogotiriova was interested in the Cuban vaccine against hepatitis, the possible Purchase of medicines and the exchange of experts.
Havana.- A trial using monkeys is in progress to test the Efficiency of a cuban monoclonal antibody (MAB), capable of Inhibiting the capacity of metastasis in epithelial tumors in rats. "b7," created at the cuban center of molecular immunology (CIM), has Proved itself in the reduction of the metastasis of melanomas in Certain cells and for more than a month has been applied to monkeys, Dr. Sergio Arce Campuzano told Prensa Latina.
Havana.- Cuba and India signed a bilateral economic collaboration Agreement and scientific-technical exchange, said the national Information agency (AIN). The document was signed by Basundhara Raje, Minister of state for Indian foreign relations, and Rosa Elena Simeon, cuban minister of science, technology and environment. Both Ministers led delegations of their countries to the fourth session of The joint commission of the cuban-Indian economic and scientific- Technical collaboration, held for two days. This agreement represents Possibilities for exchange in the areas of agriculture, health, Sports and the use of nonconventional energy sources.
Havana.- The political will, the development of attention to health, and the technological response has made health in Cuba a fact, Stated Patricio Yepez, representative of the world health Organization (who) and Pan-American health organizations (PAHO) on the Island. Such conditions make world health day (April 7) a daily Reality extending to all spheres of society, Yepez added.
Cuba press release -
Havana, Friday, April 9, 1999
Kiev.- Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma awarded cuban president Fidel Castro the first degree of the order "count Yaroslav Mudrovo," In recognition of the aid given by Cuba to the affected children of The Chernobyl accident. Foreign relations minister Roberto Robaina And health minister Carlos Dotres received the second-degree Decoration of this order. The third-degree of the order was granted To the cuban ambassador to the Ukraine, Sergio Lopez, and several Doctors, who gave medical assistance to the Ukrainian children, Victims of radioactivity from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Date: Sunday, 11 April 1999
Havana.- President Fidel Castro bid farewell yesterday Gambian President Alhaji j. J. Jammeh Yahya. The president is returning to His country with a group of doctors he had requested Fidel Castro During his visit to Cuba. Jammeh Yahya met Fidel Castro and other top Officials to examine possibilities to widen collaboration between Cuba and Gambia, which poverty, mortality due to diseases, are Reaching alarming numbers.
Managua.- Central American health ministers agreed to highlight the Medical aid given by Cuba to the population of the most affected area By Mitch hurricane, that killed more than 10 000 dead. In exclusive Statements to Prensa Latina, Nicaraguan health minister, Martha McCoy, highlighted the work done by the Cuba doctors and nurses, who -said- have obtained good results in the areas where they are Diminishing significantly the historic morbi-mortality rates. The Said on Monday will arrive in Nicaragua another group of 30 cuban Professionals. They will be distributed in the mining triangle, in The autonomous region of the north Atlantic.
Havana.- A total of 63 million of doses of the vaccine against Poliomyelitis have been applied in Cuba during the 38 immunization Campaigns, which minor population under 53 years old is free from The illness, eradicated in Cuba. During the national act of the Second part of the current campaign, carried out in the clinic of Lawton, Patricio Yepez in Havana city, the representative of the WHP/OFH in Cuba highlighted the effort made in the prevention and Control of the illnesses and the solidarity of Mexico when it Contributes with financing. Engineer Alfredo Missair, delegate- Representative of the UNICEF in Cuba, said the immunization of the Island is of 98,2%, this number surpasses the aim of the international sanitary organizations for the year 2000 that is of 95%.
Cuba Press Release No 95 Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999
HAVANA.- Over 15,000 children and 2,000 adults from Chernobyl, Ukraine, have received care in Cuban health centers since 1990. Children from the area affected by the explosion of a nuclear reactor continue arriving in Cuba every 45 days. This action has made Cuba into the country that has offered the most medical assistance to these people. Cuban Public Health Minister, Carlos Dotres, was the director of Tarara for many years. Tarara is the center where most of the medical services are given without charge to the Ukranians. Dotres stated that medical care has been offered to 500 children who suffer from cancer of the blood and seven transplants of bone marrow have been made. There were also 14 operations of cardiovascular surgery, two kidney transplants, and more than a hundred operations on malignant and benign tumors. The treatment of 800 sick people who suffer from vitiligo, alopecia and psoriasis was also given, according to the minister.
100 Cuban Doctors to Niger. Wed, 31 Mar 1999
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Total or partial reproduction of the articles in this Website is authorized, as long as the source of the copyright, is included.
First Cuban doctors depart along with President Baré Mainasara
The president of Niger's trip to Cuba results in increased collaboration between the two nations and may lead to the shipment of as many as 500 doctors to the African nation
BY ANTONIO PANEQUE BRIZUELAS (Granma International staff writer)
The recent stay of Niger's President, Ibrahim Baré Mainassara, and his meeting with Fidel Castro, improved bilateral ties, resulting in the proposed shipment of 100 doctors to Niger, 13 of whom left in the same plane as the president. These figures represent the first group of as many as 500 doctors who may leave for Niger to work in places of high demand. The agreement stems from a previous accord proposed by a joint commission between the two countries.
Baré Mainassara, Niger's first president to visit the island, said in a press conference that his stay in Cuba met his expectations. He also expressed his satisfaction in having spoken with a man such as Fidel, who is "much loved by Niger society." He also said that Fidel expressed his desire to help the African country in any way possible. "It was much more than we expected," he added.
Baré Mainassara, who came to the island as the head of a prominent delegation and invited by Fidel Castro, said that Cuba's help will be principally directed toward health concerns. He said that "the people of Niger will be eternally grateful for Cuba's gesture of solidarity."
In other statements in Havana, Baré Mainassara said that Cuba serves as an example for the developing world and was thankful for Cuba's collaboration with the rest of humanity. In official conversations both leaders and their respective delegations discussed international issues and bilateral relations. The official reception ceremony took place in the Plaza de la Bandera, in front of Cuban government headquarters in Revolution Square. The high dignitary was received at José Martí International Airport by Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina.
Niger's president placed a floral wreath before the monument of José Martí in Revolution Square and visited the José Martí Memorial. Afterwards, he went to the Latin American School of Medical Science, where Nicaraguan, Guatemalan, and Salvadoran students take classes. He also traveled to Varadero, in the province of Matanzas (100 kilometers east of the capital). In Havana, he visited Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital, the Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Center, the City Museum, and Old Havana. He also met with African diplomats accredited on the island.
23 YEARS OF RELATIONS Niger, formerly a French colony, obtained its independence in 1960 - the same year it ratified its first constitution. Supplying a quarter of the world's uranium (90 percent of its exports), the country has the greatest level of poverty in West Africa and is one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world.
Cuba and Niger established diplomatic relations on April 25, 1976, and one year later, in March of 1977, the two countries signed their first agreements. These agreements dealt with business and scientific-technical trade, such as tax exemptions and relations between foreign ministries, and were the result of the sessions of the first bilateral joint commission.
They also reached agreements to lay the foundation for possible cooperation in industrial, sugar, construction, and public health sectors. The last agreement may result in the transfer of medical and paramedical personnel to the African nation
Pueblo Nuevo, Nicaragua.- "Our Mission Is Free Of Charge. It Is An Aid From The Cuban People To The Nicaraguan Victims Of Hurricane Mitch," Dr. Pablo Lorie Exposito Told The People From A Rural Community. His Explanation Was Necessary Because When The Cuban Medical Brigade Arrived In Town There Was A Sign Asking For Donations To Pay For The Medical Attention The Cubans Will Give. As Soon As We Were Aware Of This Situation, Which For Them Was Normal, We Ordered To Withdraw The Sign And Explained The Population That We Were There As Part Of Cuba's Free Humanitarian Cooperation, Said Lorie. Ciego De Avila, Cuba.- Over 200 Students From The Caribbean Who Are Currently Learning Spanish In Cuba Will Enter Colleges Next Year. The Rector Of The University Of Ciego De Avila, Dr. Hipolito Peralta, told The Press That About 100 Caribbean Students Will Begin Classes In September. They Will Take Courses On Agricultural Engineering, Accountancy, Agronomy And Physical Education. Some Of Them Will Also Study Medicine And Teaching.
Cuba News Release
HAVANA, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1999
Managua.- Nicaraguan public health has been substantially supported by cuban medical brigades in the wake of Hurricane Mitch, stated Dr. Jose Amador, director of epidemiology at the Nicaraguan ministry of health MINSAP. Amador told Prensa Latina that these brigades have offered a high quality service with accurate diagnostic technique. "we are very happy with the cuban help and we are sure that we will be able to count on more new brigades in the next few days in order to improve the attention to the most affected and distant communities," he remarked.
GRANMA INTERNATIONAL 1998. ELECTRONIC EDITION.
Havana, Cuba
51ST WHO ANNUAL ASSEMBLY
Poverty, one of the fundamental causes of the health problems afflicting humanity
BY SUSANA LEE (Granma daily special correspondent)
GENEVA.- The serious problems affecting the health of millions of people around the planet, placing them in permanent danger of losing the essential human right of the right to life, and the close relationship of this situation with the poverty and social injustice that are among its fundamental causes, were the focus of reflection on the first day of the 51st World Health Assembly, being held in this European city's Palace of Nations.
The participants in this major event, organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), include health ministers representing governments around the globe. They will be addressing an extensive, 32-point working agenda that includes the study of the 1998 report on the world health situation, presented by WHO Director-General Hiroshi Nakajima; the election of a new WHO executive board; and the approval of a final declaration that will serve as a framework for the organization's activities and the Health for All policy for the next century.
Geneva is the headquarters for various organizations, agencies and commissions within the United Nations system, and the speakers on the opening day of this worldwide health conference included Swiss President Flavio Cotti and Vladimir Petrovsky, UN assistant secretary- general and director-general of the UN Geneva office. The opening was also presided by Faysal Rid Mousawi, the health minister of Bahrain and president of the World Health Assembly, and Hiroshi Nakajima, director-general of the WHO.
In his address to the assembly, the Swiss president enumerated a series of figures which, as he pointed out, lead to the bitter conclusion that health and poverty are clearly related, and that good health continues to be a privilege of a small few: millions of human beings have no access to even primary health care; the countries of the North spend roughly 2000 dollars annually per inhabitant, while the amount spent in the nations of Africa is roughly 20 dollars; in Europe, there is a doctor per 1000 inhabitants, while in many regions of the world, that ratio is one per 20,000; some 250,000 children die around the world every week for reasons that could be prevented with primary health care.
Cotti also emphasized that awareness of the importance of health in people's lives is a challenge facing the entire international community on the threshold of the next century, and he expressed his conviction that all nations must provide better medical care for all of the inhabitants of the planet, and struggle against the principal causes of disease, with poverty being one of the fundamental ones.
For his part, Vladimir Petrovsky delivered a greeting to the Assembly from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, and declared that there can be neither sustainable nor economic development without health. He stressed that while the WHO offers opportunities to promote a strategy of health for all, it is affected by the gaps in economic development and the poverty existing throughout the planet. We cannot close our eyes to this reality, he declared.
Our task today, he continued, is to respond effectively to the new health challenges requiring the mobilization of all, and to fight against both new and known diseases. Failing to keep up the efforts against these afflictions would have disastrous consequences for human and socioeconomic development.
Both speakers acknowledged the work carried out and the progress achieved in the WHO by its director-general, Nakajima, who will be stepping down in a few months after 10 years of worthy efforts.
The WHO executive board has already elected Nakajima's successor; the new director-general will be Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, a medical doctor with a master's degree in public health care, who was also the prime minister of Norway for close to ten years, over three periods of time between 1981 and 1996. Nevertheless, in order to officially assume her new position, her election to the leadership of the WHO must be approved at this 51st World Health Assembly.
Cuba will continue making public health care a priority
BY RUBÉN G. ABELENDA (Prensa Latina special correspondent)
GENEVA.- Cuba reconfirmed its political will to continue placing priority on health care for the people, a determination that Cuban Public Health Minister Carlos Dotres considers an indispensable principle of social justice. Dotres spoke at the 51st WHO World Health Assembly, attended by health ministers and delegations from the 191 member states of this international organization.
He emphasized that the Cuban authorities will continue to make medical care for the people one of its main priorities, something that it has done since the triumph of the Revolution on January 1, 1959. He explained that the exceptional circumstances in which the Cuban national health system has had to develop have demanded audacity, intelligence and conviction in order to further the progress of health programs for the whole population.
Health care is one of Cuba's genuine achievements in the social sphere, he added, and has always been a source of admiration, respect and support from a great many organizations and countries. This fact provides further reason to preserve it, he said.
Dotres pointed out that the Cuban health care system reflects many of the strategies pursued on a worldwide level, such as the guarantee of effective and free access to all of its components, total coverage for the entire population through state funding, and equality. He noted that the major role played by primary health care is most effectively expressed in Cuba by the specialization known as Integral General Medicine, within the context of the family doctor and nurse model at the center of the medical system.
The minister stressed that the effective application of medical care programs, united with the rest of the social transformations that have taken place in Cuban society over the last four decades, constitute determining factors in the successful fulfillment of the goals of Health for All in the Year 2000, met by Cuba in 1983.
At another point in his speech to the 51st World Health Assembly, Dotres said that future plans for health care in his country are aimed in two principal directions. One of them involves promoting greater participation on the part of different sectors, mass organizations, and communities themselves.
The other direction is related to making the health care system more efficient, placing special emphasis on basic strategies and prioritized programs.
These basic strategies, he explained, include the upgrading of primary health care, the revitalization of hospitals, and the development of traditional and natural medicine. With regard to specific programs, he said that particular priority has been placed on maternal and infant health, the control of transmissible diseases, and care for the elderly.
Dotres also presented health statistics that clearly demonstrate the development achieved by Cuba in this sphere, such as the infant mortality rate, reduced to 7.2 per 1000 live births, considered one of the 25 best in the world today. Other figures provided by the minister indicated that the average life expectancy in Cuba is currently 75 years, and that diseases like leptospirosis have been curtailed, while others like cholera and hemorrhagic dengue have been eradicated.
SECOND DAY OF THE ASSEMBLY The 51st annual WHO assembly continued into its second day with the study of the report presented by the organization, which analyzes the current international health situation and the prospects for the coming millennium. At the same time, two working commissions were concentrating on an analysis of health policies with a view towards the next century and on the WHO's financial affairs.
Havana, August 21(RADIO HAVANA CUBA)
Cuba -Therapeutics and News Release
Villa Clara province has created a therapeutic homeopathic system of medicine, used to treat nearly 4000 patients. These treatments are complemented by the dispensing in a Santa Clara pharmacy of more than 381 types of natural medicines made from herbs and plants. Dr. Maria de los Angeles Lorenzo Vera, head of the province's Natural Medicine Department, announced that all the area's health centers use natural medicines and methods in combination with modern techniques and medicines.
Meanwhile, in the southern province of Cienfuegos, health officials announced that 16,000 more patients than last year have been treated with natural medicines and methods. Experts note a growing preference for national treatments like acupuncture, mud baths, and other therapies to treat respiratory and gastric disorders and skin disorders, among other medical problems. In addition, Cuban health authorities state that research and study in natural medicines and cures has increased and improved with pharmacies and hospitals providing medicines and treatments as part of their services.
HAVANA.-A new Cuban medicine for the treatment of psoriasis, called Coriodermina, will go on sale in the country after its approval by the health authorities. The pre-clinic and clinic studies demonstrated that the medicine, elaborated from an active fat component obtained from human placenta, is highly effective in healing patients with this skin problem. No adverse reactions were detected. According to the daily Granma, the immediate goal is to carry out a controlled clinical test to extend the product through-out the country and include it to treat all patients who suffer from psoriasis and fulfill the diagnosis criteria. Recently, the Center for State Quality Control of Medicines extended its register to include Coriodermina. This is done prior to its inscription in other nations. "
Costs and Prestige helping poorer countries
GRANMA INTERNATIONAL 1998. ELECTRONIC EDITION.
·" Thousands contribute to our international prestige with their selfless efforts · Demand for Cuban cooperation grows greater every year · Medicine and sports are principal sectors
BY MIGUEL COMELLAS
There are currently 2759 Cuban internationalist technical workers, professionals and specialists providing their services in 86 countries on four continents, an unprecedented figure in the history of the civilian cooperation offered by the Cuban Revolution since'60.
In all, there are 1421 Cubans working in Latin America and the Caribbean,1157 in Africa, 154 in Europe, and 27 in Asia, involved in such sectors as medicine, sports, education, construction, electrical power, hydraulics,agriculture, and scientific research.
In an interview with Granma daily, Lázaro Pérez, deputy minister of technical assistance at the Ministry for Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation (MINVEC); Dr. Alfredo Portero Urquizo, director of medical cooperation for the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP); Roberto González Castillo, general manager of CUBADEPORTES; and Nilo García, director of technical assistance at MINVEC, offered an over- view of the current situation regarding Cuban international coooper- ation, as of the end of the first quarter of 1998. One of the main points they highlighted was the fact that the requests for such cooperation grow greater every year, along with the prestige of our country and its technical and professional workers.
Despite the difficulties that Cuba has been facing during these years of special period, the country has continued,to as great an extent as possible, to cooperate with other nations, achieving the record figures set in 1998. At the same time, there are still hundreds of young people from numerous Third World countries undertaking techni- cal and professional studies here, thanks to Cuban scholarships, with a considerable percentage of them attending medical school.
Beginning in the early years of the Revolution, in the 1960s, Cuban internationalists have traveled to countries like Algeria, the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, Chile, Peru, Nicaragua, Viet Nam, Laos, Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, the Seychelles, Guinea-Bissau, Yemen, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and others. They have worked tirelessly for hours, days, weeks and months in deserts, mountains and other isolated settings far from the nearest town or city, where not even high salaries could induce specialists from other nations to go and work. As a result, many thousands of Cubans today can feel genuine pride in the medals, diplomas and other distinctions granted by the governments of those countries, where we sent some 26,000 doctors throughout those years, up until 1990.
"The support we have received in Geneva from Third World countries is closely related to the fact that Cuba has defended the causes of the poorest of the poor with actions, not just words," President Fidel Castro recently declared, referring to Cuba's victory at the Human Rights Commission, where the United States attempted once again to pass a resolution condemning the island. On this occasion, however, for the first time in seven years, the United States was unable to achieve the adoption of this resolution, and this was largely due to the votes in favor of Cuba on the part of underdeveloped nations.
It was no surprise, then, when Nelson Mandela commented on Cuba's triumph in Geneva by stating, "It would be a crime to forget people like Fidel Castro."
As has been the case for over three decades now, the principal sector for Cuban internationalist cooperation today is medicine, with 1387 professionals currently working in 54 countries. In addition to saving lives, sharing their knowledge,and opening and running schools for the training of doctors, nurses and technicians, these Cuban health care specialists have continued to develop an ever greater level of expertise, particularly in fields like tropical medicine.
South Africa receives the most paid technical assistance, with 400 Cuban doctors working throughout the country. There are 200 of their colleagues in Zambia, 120 in Brazil, and 69 in Botswana.
The principal areas of specialization are general integral medicine, gynecology, orthopedics and anesthesiology. Cuban nurses, who have also gained prestige, play an outstanding role in these efforts.
Sports is another field in which Cuba enjoys international prestige, and over the last ten years the country has fulfilled a great many requests for trainers, advisors, physical education specialists, physiotherapists, and sports psychologists. There are currently 504 Cuban sports professionals working in 34 countries, and hundreds of further requests are being processed; the majority are in 19 countries throughout Latin America. At the last Olympic Games, in Atlanta, 22 nations were competing with the assistance of Cuban trainers and technicians. Countries like Argentina and the Philippines won bronze medals, while Thailand and Nigeria took home gold medals in boxing and track and field, respectively. Cuban internationalist sports professionals are involved primarily in baseball (60), track and field (48), volleyball (39), boxing (28), wrestling (23), and swimming (21).
Another major sector for international cooperation is higher educa- tion, given that 74 Cuban consultants, professors, methodologists and advisors are currently providing their services in 10 Latin American countries. In elementary and secondary education, there are Cuban teachers and advisors working in Botswana (64), Cape Verde (10), Equatorial Guinea (5) and Zimbabwe (4).
An important factor to stress with regard to Cuban internationalist cooperation is the fact that many countries that are able to do so now pay a fair, mutually established fee for this technical assis- tance, which contributes principally to covering the costs of providing aid to poorer nations.
Today, Cuba is reaping the fruits of the seed planted through the internationalist cooperation it has offered to dozens of nations, whose representatives in international organizations are raising their voices in condemnation of the blockade and in solidarity with our country.
(c) Copyright GRANMA INTERNATIONAL DIGITAL EDITION. La Havana. Cuba Total or partial reproduction of the articles in this Website is authorized, as long as the source of the copyright is included.
IN THE LAST EIGHT YEARS The blockade cost our health care system 1.2 billion dollars
BY JOSE DE LA OSA (Granma daily staff writer)
DR. Carlos Dotres, minister of public health, announced at the Ministry's annual evaluation meeting that in the last eight years the brutal U.S. blockade of Cuba has cost the country's health system 1.2 billion dollars,which has been reflected in the deterioration of some institutions, and shortages of medicines and other supplies.
For that reason, in these "hard times," he described health workers as "those involved in the essential application of our Revolution's and socialism's political will," since they work selflessly to maintain and increase the population's current levels of health care.
Among the indicators stressed were infant mortality (7.1 per 1000 live births, compared to the world average of 59), the under-five mortality rate (9.2 per 1000 live births, compared to 87 for the world average).
The national health care system has set out five clearly defined objectives which should be met by the year 2002, related to improving the quality of medical care, improving health indicators, increasing the population's satisfaction with the health services it receives, increasing medical care for workers as much as possible, and achieving greater economic efficiency.
Dotres recognized the selfless efforts of 682 health workers (doctors, nurses, technicians and workers) lending services in Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Haiti.
In late April, representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) from Panama, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic will meet in Havana to exchange views about our country's activities in the health sphere and to analyze forms of support for the integral health program being carried out by Cuba in Central America and the Caribbean.
WHO-PAHO representative Dr. Patricio Yepez praised our country's strategy of primary care, the policy of "health municipalization" conceived as part of social and economic development which allows the primary health and hospital systems to have a concrete expression in each locality. The meeting's participants, who consisted of cadres from all levels of the national health system, also congratulated workers in tourism, gastronomy, tobacco cultivation and cigar making, and members of the National Association of Small Farmers, who last year contributed a total of 1.8 million dollars for health programs benefiting women and children, cancer patients and kidney patients."
PRESS RELEASE NO 59 MINREX HAVANA, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1999.
HAVANA.- A NEW COLLABORATIVE BRIGADE, COMPRISING OF 32 DOCTORS, NURSES AND TECHNICIANS TRAVELLED TO HAITI IN ORDER TO CONTINUE OFFERING MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE HAITIAN PEOPLE, INFORMED A LOCAL RADIO STATION. DR. ENRIQUE COMEDEIROS, DIRECTOR OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS FROM THE CUBAN MINISTRY OF PUBLIC HEALTH STATED THAT THIS WILL BE THE NINTH GROUP TO WORK IN HAITI, BRINGING THE TOTAL TO MORE THAN 300 CUBAN EXPERTS. THESE ARE MAINLY SPECIALISTS IN GENERAL MEDICINE. THERE ARE NOW OVER 700 CUBAN DOCTORS VOLUNTEERING IN HAITI, HONDURAS, NICARAGUA, GUATEMALA AND COLOMBIA, THE COUNTRIES MOST AFFECTED BY HURRICANE MITCH. THE SPECIALISTS HAVE BEEN WORKING IN REMOTE AREAS WHERE INSUFFICIENT OR NO MEDICAL ASSISTANCE IS OFFERED.
Cuban News from Havana/Cuban Interests Section
March 8, 1999/No. 25
HAVANA.- Grenadian Prime Minister Keith Mitchel is in Havana at the invitation of Cuban President Fidel Castro. Both leaders will revise bilateral agreements signed in April, 1998. This the second time that Mitchell has visited the island. The newly reelected Prime Minister is accompanied by Grenadian Public Health Minister Dr. Clarice Modeste-Curwenand other representatives from the government and private sector.
PRESS RELEASES 28 Feb-3 March.
Beijing. Cuban foreign minister Roberto Robaina, and Chinese foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, have been holding lengthy official talks. "We are very happy to receive your visit, which is an example of the high Level of relations reached by our countries", said minister tang at The beginning of the meeting, in which many topics concerning bilateral links and the current international situation were discussed. Issues included by minister Robaina were the efforts made by his Country to develop its economy, and results obtained despite pressures of the U.S. blockade, said close sources to the cuban Delegation. The Chinese minister recalled Cuba's help to his country During the major floods that took place last year, and praised Cuba's Solidarity. He also said his government will carefully study its Contributions to the medical cuban program in central America and the Caribbean. Both ministers agreed that Cuba and china are two brother Countries necessitating wider contacts and maintenance of close links On all levels.
Mexico city.- The 9th solidarity caravan organized by religious Foundation pastors for peace will be devoted to cuban doctors and Nurses, announced U.S. Rev. Lucius walker, director of the project, in Mexico City. Rev. Walker sent a message to the 4th cuban Solidarity meeting held in the Mexican capital informing that his Organization wants to donate at least us $10 million in pharmaceutical materials. The 9th caravan, composed of U.S., Canadian, European And Latin American people, will begin its journey on may 23 until June 11 in McAllen, Texas, from where they will pass the U.S.- Mexico Frontier four days later.
Havana.- President of the council for the management of Indian Affairs, victor Hugo Cardenas, said cuban medical attention in Central American, following the devastation caused by hurricane Mitch Was one of the largest contribution to Latin America. I am glad Cuba Is among the countries that has been helping the hurricane victims, Cardenas told Prensa Latina. The visitor arrived in Havana last Weekend and immediately met cuban minister for foreign investment and Economic cooperation, Ibrahim Ferradaz, and deputy minister Raul Taladrid. Madrid.- The spanish group solidarity for development and peace (Sodepaz) will contribute about US$ 1.3 million to cooperation with Cuba. Sodepaz president Francisco Calderon said the funds will be Used to continue projects started last year. In 1998, the Organization collected US$ 1.2 million to finance projects in sectors Such as health, agriculture, urban development and power generation. The organization has established cooperation links with several Municipalities, the association of small farmers, the red cross, the Center for studies on Africa and the middle east and the universities Of Havana, Santa Clara and Oriente.
Havana.- The director of the Carlos iii spanish institute, dr. Jose Gutierrez, voiced his interest in identifying common interests in the Field of medical research and making suggestions to the European Union's 5th program. Gutierrez and his delegation will stay in Cuba For a week. Their aim is to establish cooperation between different Cuban research centers and the Madrid institute. They will explore Ways to exchange information and identify projects to be presented at The EU. 5th framework program, which contribute funds for scientific Research.
Havana-- Cuban First Vice President Raul Castro has welcomed the first group of Nicaraguan students that will study medicine on the island. Speaking with journalists upon their arrival, the Nicaraguan students said that it is a dream for them to be able to study medicine and expressed their gratitude to the Cuban government of allowing them to study on the island. It is estimated that over 5000 youths will graduate as doctors over the next ten years on the island. Once they graduate, the young people will return home and offer their services -- mainly in the rural areas of the Central American nations. Meanwhile, the first group of Guatemalan students has arrived on the island to study medicine, as part of a bilateral agreement signed last year between the governments of both countries.
The blockade is shackling the scientific community * Says Dr. Julio García Oliveras, first vice president of the Economic Society of Friends of the Country * The country's longest- standing NGO is being revitalized and is adapting its work to current circumstances. BY LILLIAM RIERA (Granma International staff writer)
The U.S. blockade is obstructing Cuba's participation in scientific events in that country and vice versa, complicating the receipt of scientific and technological publications and making it difficult for international agencies - including non-governmental organizations - to grant Cuba credits for efforts in that sphere, as well as blocking supplies of equipment and medicines.
"I say yes, but mean no!" * The United States acts like the good neighbor, but its real nature is quite the opposite * In practice, current legislation obstructs the sale of medicines to the island. BY MARELYS VALENCIA ALMEIDA (Granma International staff writer) WASHINGTON is reaffirming its traditional stance on Cuba at a moment when most of the world was expecting something different. Its simulations are likewise continuing. Almost one year ago, the U.S. government publicly announced that Cuba could acquire medicines patented in its territory. Today it's clear that that measure was mere lip service. To date, the Cuban Ministry of Public Health-Minister Carlos Dotres has received no formal indication to the contrary, despite the supposed relaxation of the blockade trumpeted by the Clinton administration. Health Minister Carlos Dotres states that, out of ten U.S. pharmaceutical companies approached for the purchase of medicines and equipment, five have failed to respond, and the others have replied using similar phrases: " I have bad news ... they're asking us to fill in all these requirement forms, who are the persons in need of the medicines, for what reason, etc., etc., ...."
"The operation is non-viable. It would be so costly for these enterprises to try to comply with all those requirements, to investigate where every product acquired by us ends up, and then to find the nonexistent trade, banking and transportation mechanisms between both countries, that such deals are virtually impossible," Dotres stated.
"Those conditions are unacceptable," he explained, "given that, in Cuba, medical care is free of charge, universal and equitable; the Cuban state invests 2.5 million dollars in insulin alone, and all medicines are prescribed to patients without distinction of ethnic origin, gender or ideological orientation."
It would be naive to analyze the reach of the U.S. economic blockade on the basis of obvious situations like the story of the ten pharmaceutical companies. This case serves as an example with regard to world opinion. The most apparent manifestation of the so-called embargo is that Cuba has been forced to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars extra to transport products from Europe or Asia, since it is unable to do so from the United States. But the blockade reaches further: given its noticeable impact on the Cuban macroeconomy, how could the state-subsidized public health system escape the storm? The answer to that is more than obvious.
Pharmaceutical products from the United States are appreciated by Cuba, although the island can never get access to them. Minister Dotres acknowledged that a close and very good market exists in that country for the purchase of medicines, equipment and diagnostic material. Neither can Cuban-patented vaccines and medicines reach the United States.
A group of representatives from U.S. medical companies was due to have visited Havana in January to promote their products. The matter has remained in the terrain of good intentions. While the practice of restrictions continues, those showing an interest in making transactions with the island will have to wait for the Greek calends.
Of the over 60 billion dollars that the blockade has cost Cuba, 1.2 billion belong to the public health sphere, in the last eight years alone. Washington is not concerned over the social burden of its policy. In addition, the Torricelli Act, backed by the Cuban-American National Foundation, and supported by Clinton when he was a presidential candidate, prohibits U.S. subsidiaries from trading with Cuba. That piece of legislation, subsequently confirmed by the Helms- Burton Act, has reduced even more drastically the possibility of importing medicines.
Washington remains indifferent to the fact of Cuban suffering brought about by a lack of medicines.
Havana-- The non-governmental Italian organization, International Committee for People's Development (CISP), has made a donation to improve the living conditions of the Alfredo Gomez Elderly Home in Havana. CISP has collaborated in the past with the European Union's Department for Humanitarian Aid on a project to aid the Cuban people. According to sources from the Cuban Health Ministry, it is estimated that the European Union donates more than 15 million dollars a year to help finance a global plan of humanitarian aid to the island. The plan -- which includes food, medicine and other important materials-- not only benefits the elderly, but the entire population.
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