Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from Radio Havana Cuba's news service for Friday, February 12, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- GUATEMALAN PRESIDENT ALVARO ARZU DECORATES CUBAN MEDICAL BRIGADE 2.- CUBAN MEDICAL BRIGADE READY TO OFFER ITS SERVICES TO THE VICTIMS OF RECENT EARTHQUAKE IN COLOMBIA 3.- SOCIAL SERVICES FOR THE PEOPLE: A DREAM FOR MOST OF THE WORLD, BUT A REALITY IN CUBA 4.- PRESIDENT OF ASTURIAS CONTINUES HIS VISIT TO CUBA 5.- U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT CRITICIZES RADIO MARTI GUATEMALAN PRESIDENT ALVARO ARZU DECORATES CUBAN MEDICAL BRIGADE Guatemala City, February 12(RHC)-- Guatemalan President Alvaro Arzu has decorated a Cuban medical brigade with the "Orden Monja Blanca" or "White Nun Order" for its services to the victims of Hurricane Mitch. The Order was given to 51 Cuban health professionals and President Arzu personally presented the award to 13 of the health professionals who are working in that Central American nation. Guatemalan Health Minister Marco Tulio Sosa thanked the Cuban medical brigade on behalf of his people and government. The Guatemalan official praised the Cuban health team as "highly professional and with an enormous amount of humanism" which led them to lend a hand of solidarity to the Guatemalan people who suffered from the effects of Hurricane Mitch. CUBAN MEDICAL BRIGADE READY TO OFFER ITS SERVICES TO THE VICTIMS OF RECENT EARTHQUAKE IN COLOMBIA Havana, February 12(RHC)-- A Cuban medical brigade will leave for Colombia on Saturday to aid victims of the earthquake that severely affected the western city of Armenia. The Cuban health professionals are responding to a request of the Colombian government to work in the areas affected by the recent earthquake that hit that South American nation. On Thursday, the National Bureau of Cuba's Young Communist League held an activity for the Cuban medical personnel and congratulated the health professionals and their families for honoring the prestige of Cuba's health care system in many parts of the world. Cuba currently has over 2000 health professionals in 57 countries -- with more than 200 offering their services to the victims of Hurricane Mitch in Central America and the Caribbean. SOCIAL SERVICES FOR THE PEOPLE: A DREAM FOR MOST OF THE WORLD, BUT A REALITY IN CUBA Havana, February 12(RHC)-- Cuban United Nations representative Rafael Dausa says that in the area of social services, "what is just a dream for most of the world has been a reality in Cuba for the last 40 years." Speaking during the 37th Session of the UN's Social Development Commission, Dausa noted that despite Cuba's economic problems, worsened by the U.S. blockade against it, the island dedicates an ever greater portion of its budget to social services. The recently passed 1999 budget, he explained, earmarks 39 percent of the island's total expenditures for education and health -- 3.6 percent more than the year before. Cuban UN Ambassador Rafael Dausa said that Cuba has the highest per capita of teachers in the world and, in health care, the island is in the vanguard of Latin America with indicators better than many developed countries with greater resources. Payments to pensioners, said the Cuban official, amount to 4.3 percent of the budget. And 40 percent of the island's social services budget goes for care of the elderly and the physically-impaired. Dausa emphasized that, in Cuba, no one lacks the protection of the government and he maintained that the Cuban experience can be used as an example that globalization of cooperation, sustainable development and rational distribution can be achieved. PRESIDENT OF ASTURIAS CONTINUES HIS VISIT TO CUBA Havana, February 12(RHC)-- The President of Asturias, Sergio Marques Fernandez, inaugurated a newly remodeled wing at Havana's Salvador Allende Hospital -- totally repaired with the assistance of that Spanish autonomous region. During the activity, the hospital's Director, Tania Gonzalez, thanked Asturian authorities for the restoration work on the hospital wing and praised worker's efforts for preserving the former "Quinta Covadonga," which was inaugurated by Asturian Manuel Valle more than one hundred years ago, in 1896. The President of Asturias also met with the Minister of Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation, Ibrahim Ferradaz. The two discussed Asturian investment on the island. U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT CRITICIZES RADIO MARTI Havana, February 12(RHC)-- A U.S. State Department report, which reportedly will be released soon, strongly criticizes the anti-Cuban Radio Marti calling its administration "unprofessional." The report adds that the quality of its journalism has worsened since Herminio San Roman was recently named Radio Marti's director. According to Thursday's edition of The Miami Herald, a recent survey reveals that the anti-Cuban radio station has less listeners in Cuba than previously believed, while TV Marti continues to be the television station that no one sees. Despite the criticisms, however, the U.S. government handed over 12 million 700,000 dollars for Radio Marti operations this year and almost 9 and a half million dollars for TV Marti. [c] 1999, 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. 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