Cuba Seeks Funds for Africa AIDS Program-UN Info

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source - walterlx@earthlink.net

UN Integrated Regional Information Network - August 16, 2001

Cuba Seeks Funds to Send AIDS-Fighting Doctors to Africa

Cuba stands ready to send 4,000 doctors and health specialists to Africa in
order to build an infrastructure to assist efforts to supply the population
with HIV/AIDS medications as well as essential prescription and follow-up
procedures, the news agency IPS reported on Tuesday. But analysts said that
this could only happen if developed countries provided the necessary
resources.

So far, only Portugal, Belgium, France and the Canary Islands have expressed
interest in setting up triangular cooperation agreements in order for the
Cuban plan to be implemented in the African countries hardest hit by the
AIDS pandemic. During a July visit to the capital Havana, Roman Rodriguez
president of the regional government of the Canary Islands, was quoted as
saying: "I am convinced that a proposal can be articulated from the
Canaries, from the government of Spain, and from the European Union, if we
had a clear path to follow."

Rodriguez expressed willingness to help Cuba, adding that the Canary Islands
have never before engaged in any organised efforts to combat HIV/AIDS in
Africa despite them being situated just 100 km off the the continent's
western coast. He said the time had come to change his regional government's
lack of action on the matter, IPS reported.

Vice-President Carlos Lage outlined the programme at the United Nations
Special Session on HIV/AIDS in June this year, and presidential minister
Ricardo Cabrisas subsequently presented it before the UN's Economic and
Social Council (ECOSOC). Following his presentation at the UN headquarters
in New York, Lage met with government representatives from Comoros, Kenya,
Nigeria, Portugal, Senegal and Swaziland, and with officials from Brazil,
France, Netherlands, South Africa and Uganda.

"The international community would need only to provide the medications,
equipment and material resources" for the services that Cuba would provide
to HIV/AIDS patients in Africa, "at no profit whatsoever," stated Lage.
Concrete responses from most of the developeded countries consulted during
that opportunity, have not yet been received by the Cuban government.

 
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