NEWS
5 March 2008
Posted to the web 5 March 2008
Havana
Mozambique is set to create a biotechnology centre with technical and scientific support from Cuba.
The announcement was made in Havana on Tuesday during the three day official visit to Cuba by Mozambican President Armando Guebuza. As part of his agenda, Guebuza visited on Tuesday the Cuban Engineering and Biotechnology Centre, and the Ramon Pando Ferrer Ophthalmology Centre.
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Mozambique's Science and Technology Minister Venancio Massinga, who is accompanying Guebuza, said that Mozambique will soon send technicians to Havana to specialize in biotechnology and exploit Cuban experience in this area. These technicians will become the backbone of the team to develop biotechnology in Mozambique, in partnership with Cuban specialists.
There are currently two Cuban technicians working in the area of livestock production in Moamba district, in Maputo province, and the government expects that the creation of the centre will extend this activity to other areas.
Cuba is to test this year, with the consent of the Mozambican government, an oral vaccine against cholera in children and adolescents aged between 2 and 18. This is the second phase of an experiment that involved 120 adult volunteers between 2005 and 2007, and which showed 97.4 per cent effectiveness.
Also in the field of cooperation in health matters, Mozambique is to send a number of ophthalmologists to Cuba this year for specialization. According to Health Minister Ivo Garrido, this will help minimise the severe shortage of eye specialists in Mozambique.
There is in Mozambique just one ophthalmologist per million inhabitants. Cuba, however, has 1,500 ophthalmologists, and no patient needs to leave Cuba for an operation because of eye problems or other related diseases.
The renowned Cuban Ophthalmology Institute operates not only on Cubans, but on foreigners from more than 30 countries. It has helped create more than 40 ophthalmology centres in partnership with other states.
Guebuza is to end his visit to Cuba this Wednesday, with visits to the Livestock Genetics Company, in Matanzas province, and to Varadero province, where he will be briefed on the development of tourism, which is another area where Mozambique is interested in cooperating with Cuba.
Copyright © 2008 Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
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