Chávez denounced accusations by U.S. officials that his administration and Cuba spread “subversion” and “destabilization” in South America. “The great destabilizer in Latin America is poverty and misery” caused by capitalism and imperialism, he said.

It’s regrettable that Washington has snubbed Cuba’s offer to send over 1,500 doctors to the Gulf Coast to provide needed medical aid to those affected by Hurricane Katrina, he added. Chávez also pointed out that his government never got authorization from Washington to send electrical generators, water treatment plant equipment, and other aid Venezuela offered.

Chávez praised the Cuban government for sending nearly 20,000 volunteer doctors and other medical personnel to Venezuela to provide quality health care to working people who did not have access to medical services before. He also announced that Cuba and Venezuela are cooperating in building a medical school in Caracas, much like Cuba’s Latin America School of Medicine that offers scholarships to students from low-income families worldwide to become doctors. When fully operational, the two schools will graduate 200,000 doctors in a decade who will provide services in their countries like the Cuban doctors in Venezuela, he said. Chávez encouraged students from the United States to take part in the program.

Chávez also said his government will pay for expenses for people from the United States with eyesight problems who can’t meet their needs here to travel to Caracas or Havana to take part in Mission Miracle. More than 40,000 Venezuelans have traveled to Cuba this year for cataract and other operations to repair their eyesight as part of this program, he said, and a small but growing number of similar operations are being performed in Venezuela itself.

The day before this event, Chávez made similar points while addressing the UN General Assembly.
 
 
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Cuban leader speaks at New York meeting  
 
 
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