CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA November 28, 1997 rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taking from Radio Havana Cuba's news service for Friday, November 28, 1997. Today's stories: 1.- SPEAKING AT 6TH INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON PRIMARY HEALTH CARE, CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT CARLOS LAGE SAID THERE CAN BE NO JUSTICE, DEMOCRACY OR HUMAN WITHOUT HEALTH FOR ALL 2.- ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN STATES GATHERING EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA 3.- MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLIES MEET IN EXTRAORDINARY SESSION TO NOMINATE CANDIDATES FOR PROVINCIAL AND NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES 4.- THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS PAY HOMAGE TO 8 STUDENT MEDICINES SLAINED DURING SPANISH COLONIAL TIMES 5.- ARGENTINE BUSINESS DELEGATION VISITS CUBA 6.- TOURISM FESTIVAL IN EASTERN SANTIAGO DE CUBA SPEAKING AT 6TH INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON PRIMARY HEALTH CARE, CUBAN VICE PRESIDENT CARLOS LAGE SAID THERE CAN BE NO JUSTICE, DEMOCRACY OR HUMAN WITHOUT HEALTH FOR ALL Havana, November 28(RHC)-- Speaking in Havana at the 6th International Seminar on Primary Health Care, Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage said there can be no justice, democracy or human rights without health for all. The Secretary of the Executive Committee of Cuba's Council of Ministers provided delegates with a detailed panorama of Washington's all-encompassing blockade against Cuba, and how that economic war against a small island affects Cuba's health care system. Lage said that depriving a country of food, medicine and medical equipment is not only inhumane, but is also unprecedented in history -- even between nations at war. Lage pointed out that Cuba does not have access to the market of a nation that produces or has the patents of the majority of new pharmaceutical products -- the world's major economic power, he added, with 25 percent of the planet's gross national product. As an example, the Cuban official pointed to the 1992 anti-Cuba Torricelli Law, which prohibited Cuba from making purchases from US subsidiaries in third countries. Before that date, he said, Cuba carried out 700 million dollars worth of transactions with those subsidiaries, of which 90 percent corresponded to food and medicine. The Cuban Vice President named three new types of medication for children with cancer, made in the USA, to which Cuba has no access. He said there are types of medications that can only be purchased from the US firm Upjohn Laboratories, and X-Ray equipment recommended by the World Health Organization to detect breast cancer in women is only produced by the US firm Kodak. The absorbtion of or merger with firms in third countries by US pharmaceutical firms, said Lage, is an increasingly frequent event -- one that automatically extends the blockade. The Cuban official said that in less than one year Cuba has had to seek 3 different suppliers of pacemakers because of takeovers in third countries by US firms. Another case, said Lage, is the Swedish pharmaceutical firm Pharmacia. Since 1970 Cuba had purchased medical equipment from the Swedish company, but that came to an end when it merged with a US firm. The Secretary of the Executive Committee of Cuba's Council of State said Cuba has medical equipment made in the USA that now lacks replacement parts. In the case of X-Ray equipment, he pointed out that the US Department of Commerce recently prohibited the Canadian subsidiary of the US firm Picker International from selling that type of equipment to Cuba. Finally, Lage recalled that during Cuba's 1981 hemorrhagic dengue epidemic that affected 300 thousand Cubans -- claiming the lives of 158, among them 101 children -- the US State Department prohibited the sale to Cuba of fumigation and chemical products to eliminate mosquitos that cause the epidemic. Nevertheles, said one of the major architects of Cuba's economic reforms, the blockade is not going to prevent Cuba from continuing to achieve formidable advances in health care. At a time when countries are slashing their health budgets, Cuba's is growing -- from 6.5 percent of the national budget in 1989 to 9.3 percent in 1996. He reminded delegates to the 6th International Seminar on Primary Health care that of 78 underdeveloped nations taken into consideration, the United Nations Development Program ranked Cuba as second in the reduction of poverty. Finally, Lage pointed to the contrasts between Cuba's health care scenario and that of the world's most powerful nation, where the infant mortality rate of African-Americans is double that of whites, where the mortatlity rate for cronic diseases for African-Americans is triple that of whites, and where 40 million Americans have no medical insurance -- among them 10 million children...almost the population of Cuba. ASSOCIATION OF CARIBBEAN STATES GATHERING EXPRESSES SOLIDARITY WITH CUBA Havana, November 28(RHC)-- Speaking at the gathering of the Association of Caribbean States in Colombia, the Foreign Minister of Grenada, Raphael Fletcher, made a forceful call for solidarity with Cuba. Fletcher, the president of the ACS's Council of Ministers, said Cuba is an active member of the regional block and an integral part of the Caribbean. Cuba, he said, needs the moral support and the solidarity of the Association of Caribbean States during this difficult period in Cuba's development efforts. Grenadian Foreign Minister Raphael Fletcher said the ACS must be consistent with its principles and true to the agreements it has penned. Fletcher recalled that during the last ministerial meeting of the Association of Caribbean States, held in Havana, the regional organization openly condemned the reinforcment of Washington's blockade against Cuba, and specifically the Helms-Burton Law. The major theme at this 3rd gathering of ACS Foreign Ministers is "unilateral measures in the Caribbean basin's ties with the international community". 10 Foreign Ministers and 15 Vice Foreign Ministers were expected to wrap up their 3rd gathering today in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLIES MEET IN EXTRAORDINARY SESSION TO NOMINATE CANDIDATES FOR PROVINCIAL AND NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES Havana, November 28(RHC)-- Cuba's 169 municipal assemblies gathered in extraordinary sessions Friday to nominate candidates for delegates to provincial assemblies and deputies to the national parliament. This is the second nomination meeting to take place during the current electoral process. The first was held in each neighborhood when people proposed candidates for the municipal government, for October 21st elections. In representation of all voters islandwide, delegates to municipal assemblies approved the slate for provincial and national assemblies. As prescribed by Cuba's Electoral Law, municipal assemblies nominated candidates in accordance to their respective populations. Santiago de Cuba, the municipality with the highest population in the country, elected candidates for 23 seats in the National Assembly, while Mariel and Cacocum, the least populated municipalities nominated just 2. Slate-making commissions- made up of the trade union federation, students, women and campesino organizations, were in charge of presenting to the municipal assemblies proposals for each municipality's ticket for the province and the nation. More than 1 million people were contacted by commission members for suggestion's of citizens with most prestige and capacity for the public esponsibilities. In the extraordinary sessions, the slate-making commission introduced one by one proposals of candidates for provincial and national election for the assemblies' discussion and evaluation. Finally in direct and public vote, the assembly members approved or disapproved of proposals. As a result of Friday's extraordinary sessions the assemblies elected candidates for 1192 provincial assemblies seats and 601 seats for the National Assembly, 50% of the candidates are members of the municipal assemblies. Voting in Cuba is direct, secret and voluntary ,not compulsory. Nevertheless, voter turn out over the last 25 years had exceeded 97 % . General elections are slated for January 11. THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS PAY HOMAGE TO 8 STUDENT MEDICINES SLAINED DURING SPANISH COLONIAL TIMES Havana, November 28(RHC)-- Cuban students, especially those majoring in medicine, took to the streets of Havana Thursday to pay homage to 8 medical students who were unfairly executed by Spanish Colonial rulers in 1871. Thousands of youngsters and people from all walks of life converged on the monument erected in memory of the students at La Punta, in Old Havana, to reaffirm the youngest generation's commitment to fight with honor in the defense of the Revolution. Public Health Minister , Dr. Carlos Dotres, and the Minister of Education, Luis Ignacio Gomez, as well as other government officials were on hand for the event. In the rally, Havana Historian, Eusebio Leal, reminisced on the events that surrounded the student's execution, whose date is observed by Cubans as a historic day, marked each year with rallies and ceremonies islandwide. ARGENTINE BUSINESS DELEGATION VISITS CUBA Havana, November 28(RHC)-- A delegation of Argentianian business executives, the first of an official character to visit Cuba, is expected in Havana Friday. Sources from Argentina's Embassy in Havana told the press that 13 executives of important firms make up the delegation, which is headed by Eduardo Sadous, Director of the Foreign Trade Division of Argentine's Foreign Ministry. Delegation members represent the food industry, pharmaceutical laboratories, leather industry, publishing houses, and the plastics industry among other sectors. The group , which arrives after visiting Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico, will stay in Cuba until monday, when it will go on to the Dominican Republic, the last leg of a Latin Amnerican tour. TOURISM FESTIVAL IN EASTERN SANTIAGO DE CUBA Santiago de Cuba, November 28(RHC)-- The eastern Cuban city of Santiago has invited the world's 85 cities bearing the name of Santiago, to the city's First Tourism Festival which will run from the 13 to l9 of July l998. The call put out by the Festival's organizing committee, is aimed at strengthening cultural, historic, scientific, social and sports links among the world's Santiagos of which 45 are located on the American Continent. Santiago de Cuba's First Tourism Festival will also make available courses on restoration of historic buildings, and other subjects related to national heritage and tourism. [c] 1997. Radio Habana Cuba All rights reserved Articles cannot be reproduced, reprinted or published in any system without the consent of RHC. This prohibition includes the distribution of this material via Usenet News, "bulletin board" services, e-mail lists, print media, radio and television. For the complete RADIO HAVANA CUBA NEWSCAST and other features, please write for our daily broadcast schedule. We welcome your comments and suggestions. 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