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Guatemalan authorities today welcomed 122 Cuban nurses who will work to help reduce the maternal and infant mortality rates in this country, said the Minister of Public Health and Social Assistance, Jorge Villavicencio.

The country's high rates of maternal and infant mortality are 'shameful', Villavicensio said. Some 139 of every 100,000 mothers die in childbirth, and infant mortality is 18 for every 1,000 live births.

During the welcoming ceremony, Villavicensio thanked the nurses for their presennce on behalf of the government, and expressed his confidence in Cuba's healthcare services.

The nurses will also help aim to reduce acute malnutrition figures by 10 percent over the next four years, which is one of the goals of the Pacto Hambre Cero (Zero Hunger) program, implemented since 2012 under President Otto Pérez Molina.

About 49. 5 percent of Guatemalan children under the age of 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition, while 1.5 percent children suffer from acute malnutrition, the Villavicencio said.

Cuban Ambassador Roberto Blanco noted that about 4,000 Cuban health professionals have provided services in cooperation with this nation since 1998, following Hurricane Mitch.

Fuente: Prensa Latina


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