AIN

Improvement of Medical Services in Central Cuba

Cienfuegos (central Cuba) Nov 8 (AIN) The refurbishing of more than 20 community or family doctor offices is at the center of the ongoing remodeling of public health facilities in Cienfuegos province.

The large investment program, supported by the local authorities, also focuses on the reconstruction and technical refitting of primary health care facilities and the Gustavo Aldereguia Lima University Hospital.

The completion of 22 new patient rehabilitation wards in the community clinic of the municipality of Cruces, will also benefit from the project, which will add another 25 located in different areas of the south central Cuban province.

Also included in the project are seven wards at the Paquito Gonzalez Pediatric Hospital and the opening of other new medical services for the care of Cuban children.

The project is also gradually improving medical transport, continuing the upgrading of local drugstores and facilities for the elderly as well as the introduction of other new services locally.

Cuban Five Heart of Solidarity Day in Peru

Havana, Nov 8 (AIN) The Peruvian Committee in Solidarity with five Cubans held as political prisoners by the United States will hold a national solidarity day on their behalf this coming Friday demanding their release.

The group’s leader, Gustavo Espinoza, told Prensa Latina news agency that in Peru the term solidarity is not a simple word, but implies action.

The latest showing of support has the backing of the Peruvian- Cuban Friendship Houses, which have worked to publicize the case of the Cuban Five, incarcerated in the US since 1998 for the "crime" of uncovering terrorist plots against Cuba being planned in South Florida.

Throughout the day of activity, signatures will be collected from individuals, institutions, labor unions, political parties, student and social organizations, among others.

Participants will be able to sign a Solidarity Memorial, which along with the petitions will be sent to pertinent international organisms as part of the campaign to release the innocent Cubans, said Espinoza.

Likewise, letters of support and encouragement will also be gathered for delivery to the five men in their different United States prisons.

The Peruvian political leader noted that the solidarity day is an important opportunity to identify with the cause of Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez, Rene Gonzalez, Gerardo Hernandez and Ramon Labañino, railroaded by a biased Miami court back in 2001.

On March 10, defense attorneys made their appeal for a retrial to a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals based in Atlanta. Nearly 8 months later, a ruling is still pending. AIN 22

International Volleyball Conference Winds Up in Eastern Cuba

Santiago de Cuba, Nov 8 (AIN) The 2nd International Volleyball Conference has just concluded in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba, with participants agreeing to hold future annual meetings at the local Physical Culture Faculty in that Cuban province.

Participants underscored the quality and high scientific level of presentations during the four-day event.

The president of the Cuban Volleyball Federation, Dr. Rafael Navelo, told the AIN news agency that the annual conference has become crucial for promoting the development of volleyball in Cuba.

"Each annual meeting demonstrates further progress as the conference has enjoyed increasing attendance by prestigious national volleyball experts, though we believe that foreign participation could be greater," said Navelo.

The conference was attended by specialists from seven nations, including Cuba, while the largest delegations came from Venezuela, Mexico and El Salvador.

The other delegations represented included Bolivia, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay.

The 2nd International Conference on Volleyball also assessed the potential of Cuban volleyball teams in the next Olympic cycle, as the training of the women and men’s teams is already underway.

Both of the Cuban teams are expecting to qualify for the next Olympics and maintain their high rankings.

Cuban Health Professionals Home for Vacation

Havana, Nov 8 (AIN) The first 121 health professionals from the city of Havana who are providing their services in Venezuela are home in Cuba for a month long vacation.

The welcoming party at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport was headed by Public Health Minister, Jose Ramon Balaguer, and the first secretary of the Communist Party in the Cuban capital, Pedro Saez, who greeted them on behalf of Cuban President Fidel Castro.

The doctors and nurses were told the country’s leader is recovering very well from his recent accident. Saez said the president has continued to maintain abreast of their work in the "Barrio Adentro" program, which has saved the lives of thousands of poor Venezuelans both in urban neighborhoods and rural communities.

In the welcoming ceremony, Saez stressed the sacrifice and hard work of the Cuban health professionals within the complicated situation in the South American nation.

He added that in addition to spending a month at home the doctors and nurses will be honored by their neighbors and co- workers at health centers and hospitals.

They will also visit school classrooms to share their experiences with teachers and students.

London Solidarity With Cuba Conference

Havana, November 8 (AIN)—The 2nd Solidarity with Cuba Conference in London approved, on Monday, a strong declaration in support of the island and against the Washington blockade against the Caribbean nation.

Almost 300 participants including a delegation from the Cuban Workers´ Confederation, CTC, gathered in three workshops to discuss the blockade and its impact on health, education and the island’s industrial development, according to Monday’s weekly Trabajadores.

Another eight workshops were held on the effects of the US blockade on the island’s transportation, communications, industry, trade, public sector and services.

During the event, organized by the British Trade Union Congress, which represents some seven million workers, Jeannie Drake, from the British workers center, Kevin Curran, general secretary of the GMB Union and Bob Crow from the Railway Union all supported Cuba’s position.

Other activists that expressed their solidarity with Cuba were Hugh Lanning of the PCS, Civil Service Union, Jane Carolan from UNISON and Rodney Bickerstaffe a prominent retired worker.

Francisco Duran, second secretary of the CTC said that thanks to the patient work of those present, and their spirit of justice and solidarity, no campaign of lies has stopped the truth from coming out. Internacional-Europa .