Vol. 71/No. 7      February 19, 2007

The attackers threw rocks at the residences of Cuban doctors in the central city of Cochabamba, shouting threats and insults, Dausá told the Cuban news agency Prensa Latina January 14.

“None of these attacks are going to frighten or influence negatively the courageous, noble, and worthy work done by the Cuban doctors and teachers, for the benefit of the Bolivian people,” said Dausá.

The Cuban ambassador was referring to the more than 1,700 Cuban doctors, nurses, and technicians volunteering in Bolivia to provide quality medical care free of charge in 180 municipalities across the South American country. Both the governments of Cuba and Venezuela have offered Bolivia aid to improve access to medical services for working people.

The first group of 600 Cuban volunteer medical personnel began arriving last February to assist hundreds of Bolivians affected by river floods.

Cuba’s aid includes the construction of 20 fully-equipped hospitals in the country’s rural areas, several eye clinics that provide cataract surgery for tens of thousands of people, and 5,000 scholarships to Bolivians to study medicine free of charge in Cuba.

The presence of the Cuban volunteers has been a focus of attacks by Washington and by opponents of the Morales government in Bolivia, who accuse Havana of using medical volunteers to interfere in the country’s internal affairs.

As part of this virulent campaign, Bolivian doctors carried out a 24-hour work stoppage last June, protesting the alleged use of government funds to pay the expenses for the Cuban volunteers, and for allowing Cuban doctors to practice medicine “illegally” in the country.

At a January 14 press conference Dausá summarized the results of the collaboration between the two countries: 3 million Bolivians have received free medical care so far in the last 10 months; 52,000 eye operations; 46,000 eyeglasses distributed free of charge; 76,000 people have learned to read and write; and 315,000 people are currently enrolled in the literacy program.
 
 
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