Peter Boyle
Maria, a 2.6 kilogram baby from East Timor, is recovering in Sydney Children's Hospital from surgery to close a hole in her heart. She would have died if not for a burst of generous donations that allowed her to be treated in Australia. These donations followed the Sydney Morning Herald featuring her plight on its front cover a month ago.
One young life has been saved, but there's little chance that the Herald will step in for the thousands of other casualties of inadequate health services in that poor neighbouring country, which has had its oil reserves ripped off by Australia. This was a once-in-a-blue-moon, heart-tugging stunt for a big business newspaper.
However, ongoing health assistance of a seriously not-for-profit-kind is coming to East Timor. Three hundred additional Cuban doctors will soon be joining 60 of their comrades already there.
In addition, Cuba has provided more than 800 scholarships for young Timorese to study at Havana's Latin American Medical School and has helped set up a medical school in Dili. Cuban teachers have begun work on a literacy program for the new nation.
This is a lesson in serious good neighbourliness from way across the Pacific. This is an example of the socialist values that inspired the formation of Green Left Weekly.
The Herald's concern for East Timor's health system does not extend to covering Cuba's great role. I guess this story will surface in the "mainstream" press when the US government decides to label it a terrorist plot!
For this sort of truthful coverage you can count only on GLW. And you can help GLW keep telling these "overlooked" stories by making a once-off or regular donation to our fighting fund. Just give us a call on 1800 634 206 (toll-free within Australia), write to PO Box 394, Broadway, NSW 2007, or donate online at <http://www.greenleft.org.au/fogl.htm>.
Last week we raised $7517. This brings us to 24% of the year's total target of $250,000. Thank you to all who contributed.
From Green Left Weekly, May 10, 2006.
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