Taken from The Belize Times January 24, 2007 BELIZE CITY, January 24 , 2007.- This afternoon Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Said Musa and Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, walked the streets of Belize City and visited a few of the homes that have benefited from the Energy Saving Project (ESP). “My light bill has gone down,” Myrna, a Fort George resident, told the Prime Minister and Hon. Parrilla when asked whether she her family has benefited from the project. Matilda, a single-mother, thanked PM Musa and Cuba’s vice-minister for bringing the project to Belize. “My light bill has gone down plenty,” she said. It is not only Fort George residents that have benefited from a reduction in their light bills. Last month, 53 year old Ms. Merilyn Wade, the first Belizean to benefit from the Energy Saving Project, told the BELIZE TIMES that her bill has been cut down by about one-third. Ms. Wade, a mother of four who lives on Fern Lane, said her bill has fallen from the usual $198 to $65. “This is amazing; the new light bulbs have made a big difference and my light bill has gone down. We are very thankful to the Prime Minister,” Ms. Wade told the BELIZE TIMES. Updated statistics show that florescent light bulbs have been installed in a total of 69,810 houses across the country. While these 69,810 families will rejoice to see lower light bills, the country will also benefit with more than US$5m saved every year. Prime Minister Musa said that the Government and the Embassy of Cuba will continue to work to provide the florescent bulbs to homes that were inadvertently overlooked. For his part, Cuba’s Vice-Minister Hon. Parrilla reiterated his Government’s commitment to projects such as the ESP. Hon. Parrilla is in Belize for a twenty-four hour working visit. He is leading a small delegation which includes Ambassador Rogelio Sierra, Chief of Latin American Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Omar Pereira, Advisor to the First Deputy Minister. The delegation had arrived in Belize on Tuesday and the first item on the agenda was the signing of an agreement between the Government of Cuba and the Ministry of Health that occurred in the Lamanai Room at the Radisson Fort George Hotel in Belize City. Minister of Health Hon. Jose Coye pointed out that this is not the first signing and certainly will not be the last. Belize health system enjoys the services of almost 100 medical doctors from Cuba, including general practitioners and specialists. “These individuals are of great aid to Belize, especially in our rural health system, 50% of our population lives in urban areas and the other 50% resides in rural areas of Belize.” The cooperation aids in the fundamental areas of development. Minister Coye continued, “Health is indispensable. One can quantify in the market sense in dollars, but not the contribution made to the people of Belize. Thus the services provided by these medical personnel are of great assistance and importance.” Cuba is providing Belize with resources that are very scarce and thus seen as a tremendous contribution. This service is being offered to Belize for some years now, this being the second agreement signed. As part of the agreement Cuba will provide Belize with these medical personnel free of cost. Minister Coye went on to mention that “this is a horizontal cooperation, a unique agreement which can spell well for health and peace worldwide”. His Excellency Bruno Rodriguez emphasized his country’s profound gratitude to the Belize Government for its traditional support given to Cuba internationally. Both countries have many common goals and problems and Belize can continue to count on Cuba’s support, he said. Following the signing, an Inter-Ministerial meeting was held with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Eamon Courtney to discuss other areas of bilateral cooperation. The Cuban delegation departs this afternoon.
|