| 15,000 doctors cooperating in more than 64 countries Cuba currently has cooperative relations with 165 countries and has implemented more than 120 Joint Commissions, mechanisms for the periodic review of the completion of programs and to agree new ones. Last year saw the 40th anniversary of Cuban internationalist cooperation with other countries. In an interview with Granma daily, Marta Lomas, minister for foreign investment and economic cooperation (MINVEC) recalled the beginnings of Cuba’s exchanges with sister nations, the first of which was the first Cuban medical brigade to Algeria in 1963, just four years after the triumph of the Revolution. The sectors most represented in terms of Cuban cooperation are those of health, education and sports. At the close of 2003 and in the medical sphere alone, Cuba offered the services of some 15,000 compatriots in more than 64 countries in five continents. The MINVEC minister placed special emphasis on the positive impact this has had on improving health indicators, direct attention to the most needy sections of the population in the receiving countries and in the training of healthcare personnel in these nations through cooperative work. Likewise, she highlighted the sphere of education, educating foreign students in Cuban centers and the successful development of literacy programs in various countries. Nowadays, Cuba has cooperative relations with 51 out of the 54 countries that make up the African continent and has established 46 Intergovernmental Joint Commissions. In 2003, there were 22 sessions of these commissions, a record figure since Cuban cooperation began in the region. The nation has continued to consolidate the execution of the Integral Health Program in 14 different countries as well as others directed at offering both assistance and prevention services and human resource training. The chance of developing joint projects for the production of vaccines and pharmaceutical products in African nations, to contribute to the prevention and cure of illnesses blighting those countries is a reality today. In the field of education, teacher-training projects are underway as well as literacy programs and links between African and Cuban universities. The minister also added that Cuban teachers are working in those countries lacking these services. The contribution of sports trainers in several different African countries and training bases for several different teams throughout the continent have made a modest contribution to improving the results of African athletes in international and regional events. At this time, cooperation has also been extended to new areas such as planning, construction, hydraulic resources, agriculture, fishing, labor and social security policies, science and technology, and culture. Marta Lomas also emphasized the sustained development that Cuba has maintained in its cooperative relations with Latin America and the Caribbean, specifying that major achievements of the last year have been the successful completion of the Integral Program with Venezuela and the celebration of the 4th Joint Commission in which the Cooperation Program for 2004 was approved. The program includes treatment for Venezuelan patients in Cuba and Venezuelan students studying at Cuban universities and other educational establishments. She also mentioned the most outstanding aspects of exchange among other Latin American nations. In the case of Brazil, there have been advances in sectors such as agriculture, education, environmental work, banking and public health. Also highlighted was the completion of joint projects in Mexico in the areas of science and technology, health, transport, statistics, fishing, energy and the environment. The consolidation of cooperative relations with Haiti can be seen in the 4th sugarcane harvest at the Darbonne mill, completely renovated by Cuban specialists. Besides this, the application of the Alpha Radio System has allowed 100,000 Haitians to acquire literacy skills and some 600 Cuban healthcare professionals are currently represented in that country. Concluding, she mentioned a medical cooperation project due to begin in Trinidad and Tobago as well as a Spanish-speaking teaching program for the elementary education system in Belize. (28/01/2004) (Taken from: Granma International)
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