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RELEASE

Don Francisco receives PAHO 'Champion of Health' Award

Washington, DC, April 14, 2004 (PAHO)—Univision television personality Mario Kreutzberger, who as "Don Francisco" hosts the "Sabado Gigante" variety show, today was recognized by the Pan American Health Organization for his humanitarian work and support for health programs.

Don Francisco and PAHO Director, Dr. Mirta Roses Periago.

In a ceremony here today, PAHO Director Dr. Mirta Roses said, "Don Francisco lent his name to deliver important health messages to promote the voluntary donation of safe blood. Since he made this appeal, blood donation has been increased by 31 percent."

Dr. José Ramiro Cruz, of PAHO’s blood safety unit, said data showed that the number of units of blood collected in Latin America and the Caribbean increased from 5,996,591 in 1999 to 7,824,291 in 2002.

"Each country should collect blood units equivalent to 5 percent of its population, so that blood banks can be well provided," said Roses. "But in the Americas, only Cuba reaches that percentage. The United States and Curacao collect the equivalent of 4 percent of their population and the rest of the countries barely reach 1 percent," she added.

The PAHO director noted that in traffic crashes, which kill 130,000 people throughout the Americas every year, the difference between living and dying often depends on the availability of blood for transfusions.

Kreutzberger, who has been working in television for 42 years, also hosts a Wednesday night talk show, "Don Francisco Presenta" and does an annual charity telethon in Chile He has about 40 million viewers around the world.

After receiving his "Champion of Health" award from Dr. Roses, he recalled that he has been doing social campaigns since he began working in television in Chile. His first effort was to raise funds to buy a machine to keep plasma samples for a Santiago hospital. "The machine was so big it did not fit through the door, and we had to demolish part of the building. The bureaucracy took years to give us a permit, and by that time the machine was obsolete," he said.

"This does not occur in PAHO, where one feels that one is working rapidly to achieve concrete successes," Kreutzberger said. "Here you are not in business, you are promoting health, which is everyone’s right. Obtaining blood is maintaining life, having more opportunities to live, and I am happy to contribute to maintaining that flow of blood donation that gives life to so many," he said.

PAHO, established in 1902, is the world's oldest public health organization. It works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and the quality of life of their peoples. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO). PAHO Member States today include all 35 countries in the Americas. In addition, France, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are Participating States, Portugal and Spain are Observer States, and Puerto Rico is an Associate Member.