MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Breaking News from Pta. Arenas.

Headlines:
Chilean icebreaker ends Antarctic season; Dollar exchange activity returning to normal; Magallanes hospital among the top 15; Punta Arenas US sister city; Patagonia South-South integration.

Chilean icebreaker ends Antarctic season

Chilean icebreaker "Almirante Oscar Viel" concluded last week the five month long 2004/05 Antarctic season which this year extended an additional month. Originally scheduled for March 2, the Chilean Civil Aviation Agency contracted the icebreaker until mid April to transport equipment and material to help with the recovery of the Salvage and Fire Department at Teniente Marsh base in King George Island, which caught fire February 5. This involved transporting public works machinery weighing several tens of tons which was unloaded with the help of a crane belonging to the nearby Chinese base. On her way back "Almirante Viel" carried 120 tons of junk metal, several more tons of garbage and even helped pull the "Chinook", a support vessel belonging to DAP Mare which was grounded in Potter cove. The 6,500 tons, 90 metres long "Almirante Viel" has a crew of 110 and carries two Bolkow 105 helicopters.

Dollar exchange activity returning to normal

Following several nerve breaking days when Punta Arenas banks and money exchange houses double checked all American bills (some even refused greenbacks) in the outlook for the fake CB-B2/2001 and AB/1996 issue dollars, activity apparently is gradually becoming normal. Eduardo Scott from Cambio Scott said banks regarding dollar operations, were operating normally with long standing clients. However Mr. Scott pointed out that several money exchange houses never refused operations as long as the US dollar 2001 and 1996 series proved to be original bills. "We ensure our clients that any bill which is original we will accept because that is what Chilean law indicates". This is particularly true since "most of our clients are fishermen, maritime agencies staff or linked to port activities and they are paid in US dollars. They are not to blame because certain banks and money house refuse to receive US dollars", stressed Mr. Scott.

Magallanes hospital among the top 15

Magallanes regional hospital was rated last year among the top fifteen of the sixty public hospitals in Chilean territory. Medical and non medical productivity was the highest among the 60 hospitals, and with the same budget last year there was an "overall 20% increase" in the number of appointments, specialized clinical services and surgeries. "In numbers this means that an additional 1,200 major and minor surgeries were performed in the hospital", revealed Doctor Jorge Flies, head of Magallanes Public Health Service. "Regarding heath service, Magallanes was rated as the most qualified in 2004", added a proud Dr. Flies.

Punta Arenas US sister city

The mayor of Bellingham, Washington State, Punta Arenas sister city in USA Mark Asmundson visited Magallanes Region to establish closer relations and share experiences. Bellingham has a similar population to Punta Areas, 120,000 and Mr. Asmundson according to La Prensa Austral was interested in finding out about community relations, law enforcement, youth problems and attention to the elderly. Mr. Asmundson invited his Punta Arenas counterpart Juan Morano to visit Bellingham and talked about how the city addressed the problem of graffiti. "It has been a slow process but those responsible for graffiti in public places must clean the mess, repaint walls and besides must accomplish several days of community activities", revealed Mr. Asmundson.

Patagonia South-South integration

Punta Arenas Mayor Juan Morano participated in Mar del Plata of a Southern Cone municipalities' forum sponsored by the World Bank and the German Foundation Konrad Adenauer (Christian Democrat). Mr. Morano spoke about the Punta Arenas-Rio Gallegos-Rio Grande experience, which is closely working to facilitate integration in different fields between these neighbouring cities in Chile and Argentina. "The idea is not only to share information but to enforce common policies to make relations in the area more fluid and less bureaucratic", said Mr. Morano.