1.
LV Arrival of President and party
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SV President meets Apithy and Ahomadegbe
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GV Ribbon across entrance to hospital
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SV Priest during service, PAN to president and party
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CU Priest
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SV Officials
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LV PAN..Crowd to president making speech
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SCU President speaking
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GV Large crowd
0.53

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SV President walks to ribbon
1.02

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SV Crowd
1.04

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SV President cuts ribbon and crowd applauds
1.23

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GV Hospital
1.28



Initials CM/AW/ES



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: At a ceremony in Tanguieta on Tuesday (30 June), President Maga of Dahomey opened a new hospital. The hospital, the President said in his opening address, is designed to raise the standards of public health in the region.

The hospital was party financed by an Italian Order of monks, L'Ordre des Fate Bene Fratelli, which was represented by Monseigneur Gantin and the Ambassador of the Apostolic See, Monseigneur Mariani.

The Bishop of Natitangou, Monseigneur Redois, was there to welcome them, together with President maga and the other two members of Dahomey's ruling Presidential Commission, the former Presidents Justin Ahomadegbe and Souru-Migan Apithy.

Bishop Redois said that this gift from outside, a direct response to the appeal made by Pope Paul in the Encyclical "Populorum Progressio" was a most important matter for Dahomey. This was indicated by the presence of the Presidential commission at the inauguration.

The hospital includes a dispensary, a laboratory, and operating block, a maternity block, and an extensive area of park.

There is room for eight patients, and for those who can afford to pay, the cost per day is 300 francs.

President Maga said at the opening of this new venture in a very poor area of Dahomey that it was a general purpose of Government policy to raise the general standard of public health, since a people with a poor standard is incapable of participating in social, intellectual, economic and technical development.