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HARARE (IPS)�Most often when Cuba hits international headlines, the story is either about its sour relations with the U.S. government or about the dangerous small boats smuggling its nationals into Florida.

The current story involves six-year-old Elian Gonzalez whose mother drowned as she tried to smuggle the boy into the United States in November. But far away from the boats smuggling economic refugees into the United States, Cuba is a messiah to many African countries. Starting way back in 1959, when Cuba helped Africa�s liberation movements fight colonial oppression, the Latin American country still maintains strong links with Africa.

"Africa has received solidarity from Cuba for many years. We have helped Africa in many fields: education and medicine,�� said Esther Armenteros, director for the sub-Saharan African Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Havana.

Through its medical cooperation with Africa and Latin American countries over the years, Cuban health workers have helped more than 1.6 million people. Some 281,000 patients have been treated for infectious and parasitic diseases. Some 14,897 surgical operations have been performed.

Boasting of one of the highest doctor/patient ratios in the world, 1 doctor per 200 inhabitants, Ms. Armenteros said her country has enough medical doctors to spare.

"We can have up to 2,000 doctors helping abroad without us being affected at any given time,�� she said.

The doctors are deployed in rural areas where their services are most needed.

"The idea is not to take the place of local doctors but we only help where there are no doctors. The doctors are given on a free basis," said Ms. Armenteros.

Ms. Armenteros, who visited Zimbabwe recently, said Cuba has "a new Comprehensive Health Program for Central America, the Caribbean and Africa�� where Havana is sending doctors to help overcome some serious sanitary programs they may have.

Under the program, the host country provides a monthly allowance of $100 for the health worker�s minimum expense, guaranteeing them room and board. Cuba on its part, provides the family a monthly allowance of $50.

Priority areas in the medical cooperation include comprehensive primary and secondary health care, technical assistance, manpower training, management of medication programs and implementation of health programs.

The health program is currently being implemented in 11 African countries where about 2,000 Cuban health workers have been deployed. African countries that have benefited from the health program are Niger, The Gambia and Burkina Faso�where some 187 Cuban doctors have been deployed. According to Ms. Armenteros, the long-term idea is to expand this program to include countries like Mali, Chad, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Currently, work is underway to set up a medical university in The Gambia and Guinea Bissau run by Cuban professors.

Another area that Cuba has been helping in Africa is science education teaching.

"Developing countries have always had a deficiency of science graduates,�� said Rodolfo Sarracino, Cuban ambassador to Zimbabwe. "Some 1,600 Zimbabwe science graduates have just graduated in Cuba and will soon be returning to Zimbabwe. We have managed to improve a large number of science professors."

A recent study in South Africa measuring scientific literacy shows that only 1 in 3 students entering tertiary education has a sufficient grasp of science to cope with life in the 21st century.

"Development of science education is important to any country�s future development. Without science you can�t have new development and new technologies,�� said Mr. Sarracino.