Sat, Jul 04, 2009 - Page 7 News List

FEATURE : Castro’s doctors still give hope to Chernobyl children

NUCLEAR FAMILIES: Young sufferers are still being treated by Cuban doctors 20 years after the Chernobyl disaster in the Ukraine and despite economic sanctions

THE GUARDIAN , HAVANA

Austerity is still apparent across the island, but the Chernobyl project has survived thanks to an agreement between the two countries: Ukraine covers transportation, while room, board, schooling and medical services are covered by Cuba. Some unofficial estimates put Cuba’s expenditure at more than US$300 million in medical costs alone.

“Many people who are unaware of our ideals still wonder what Cuba might be after,” Julio Medina, general coordinator of the program, recently told the Cuban newspaper Granma. “It is simple: We do not give what we have in excess; we share all that we have.”

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