Fidel Castro Affirms that Cuba Will Even Better Her Health Statistics

Havana, Sep 19 (PL) President Fidel Castro affirmed Monday that Cuba
is on the way to reduce infant mortality here to less than four per
thousand births and to increase the life expectancy of her people.

We are going to be the first Latin American country to reach this
figure, even better than that of Canada, the statesman pointed out
during the graduation ceremony for more than 1,903 physicians from
the country’s medical schools.

In addition, he said, this will take place in half the time it took
Switzerland and Japan to raise their life expectancies from 70 to 80
years, because today we are at 77.5 years.

The president noted that medical services in Cuba have increased life
expectancy 18 years (it was only 60 years at the triumph of the
Revolution in 1959).

These words would appear presumptuous if it could not be said with
total justice that Cuba is the country which has most shared its
medical experiences and knowledge with the world, he continued.

President Castro added that not a single time has our people failed
to offer help to nations that need it in a catastrophe, without
giving any importance to ideological and political differences.

We will never betray our conception of the humanity of these peoples
and the duty of human solidarity, he said.

Fidel Castro pointed out that the tens of thousands of Cuban
physicians and health professionals spread all over the world give
unquestionable testimony to these words.

And to this should be added the graduates of the Latin American
Medical School and the young Cubans who graduate today and bring
3,015 new doctors in the world’s service.

He affirmed that this number will grow until it exceeds the 10,000
new doctors per year until it fulfills Cuba’s promise to train
100,000 Latin American and Caribbean specialists in a decade.

In another part of his speech, Fidel Castro indicated that every
people has the right to a healthy life and a prolonged and useful
existence.

At the same time he deplored the path taken by medical services in
consumerist societies dominated by the craving for lucre.

They are inaccessible to the poorest sectors of the population he
lamented, and referred to the abysmal differences between developed
countries and those euphemistically called developing countries.

He said that while this occurs, military spending increases each year
to an amount comparable to that of advertising.

Whichever of those two expenses would be sufficient so that every
inhabitant of the planet could live decently, he pointed out.

During the ceremony, the Cuban leader formed the "Henry Reeve"
International Medical Contingent for Disasters and Serious epidemics,
composed of 1,586 physicians.

hr/rc/apf/ccs

Cuba Spawns International Disaster Medicine Brigade

Havana, Sep 19 (Prensa Latina) Cuba will officially create on Monday
a 1,586-strong international medical contingent against disasters and
serious epidemics that will be prepared to cooperate in any nation of
the world.

Under the name of Henry Reeve, a US citizen who died while fighting
for Cuban independence, the internationalist brigade will replace the
one created to help US victims of Hurricane Katrina.

That medical contingent continues preparing although the North
American government has made no statement on the Cuban proposal.

The graduation ceremony of more than 1,905 Cuban doctors will be held
together with the official constitution of the international medical
contingent.