[Via... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . . ----- Original Message ----- From: Walter Lippmann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: CubaNews <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, May 15, 2001 7:25 PM Subject: [CubaNews] Maternity leave extended to one year GRANMA May 15, 2001 MOTHER AND BABY TOGETHER: BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE Maternity leave extended to one year BY MILEYDA MENENDEZ DAVILA (Special for Granma International) The best Mother�s Day gift from the government to Cuban women was the guarantee of necessary job security to every mother during her baby�s first year of life. Such was the demand of the workers at their recently concluded 18th Congress, with the result announced on May 1 in the form of Resolution No. 11 of 2001 of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security, through which the mother will receive a loan equivalent to 60% of her salary starting with the four month after the baby�s birth until the child reaches the age of one. Previously, the loan was offered starting with the sixth month, when paid leave came to an end. Female workers receive the full 100% of their salaries from the 35th week of pregnancy through three months after the birth. Other mothers will also benefit from this initiative, because there are plans to convert facilities for small babies into spaces for children over a year of age in day-care centers, the 40-year-old institution in charge of pre-school education of working mothers� children, upon their request. According to Dr. Roberto Alvarez Fumero, pediatrician and specialist of the Ministry of Public Health�s Mother-Child Program, this measure provides great health advantages for mothers and children. Cuba promotes exclusive breast-feeding in the first four months, and complementary breast-feeding through six months, but starting now working mothers will be able to continue breast-feeding up to one year. This will lead to better immunological development in babies, for example by lowering the risks of acquiring acute respiratory infections, acute diarrhea, meningitis and other invasive infections. Reducing deaths during this crucial period of life is an ambitious goal, keeping in mind that Cuba�s current infant mortality rates are already comparable to those of developed countries: for every 1,000 live births, 0.1 deaths occur as a result of acute diarrhea, 0.2 deaths as a result of acute respiratory infections and 0.2 as a result of meningitis. The specialist also states that the baby�s close proximity to the mother during this time guarantees security, affection and family recognition, which studies have shown to be factor reducing the risk of negative social conduct in future adults. Among other advantages, mothers could identify, prevent, and modify the major risks of death from accidents through one year of age. These can be caused by falls, suffocation, ingestion of foreign bodies and bronchitis and represent 0.3 per 1,000 cases of infant mortality reported. The Baby Friendly Hospitals program, inaugurated by the United Nations Children�s Fund (UNICEF) in 1992, has been quite successful in Cuba. Not only are its standards met in the 57 state hospitals where 100% of Cuban babies are born, but it also extends to maternal homes, created for pregnant women at risk or those who live far from hospitals where they may be attended. The program�s principles are also promoted by the family doctors in local communities. It is not a miracle that Cuba obtained an infant mortality rate of 7.2 per 1,000 live births in the year of 2000, cited as one of best in the world.
