II. Make arrangements through the Protocol department over the phone about a visit of Soviet diplomats to the English parliament or the US Congress.
Dialogue 2
At the Cardiological Centre
The General-Director of the Centre: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. You are welcome to our institution.
A voice: As guests or as patients?
The Director: As guests, of course.
First Secretary of the US Embassy: Will you kindly tell us a few words about your celebrated establishment, sir?
The Director: The Centre was constructed in 1975 with money raised by Soviet people through voluntary work during a Communist Subbotnik.
Second Secretary of the Mexican Embassy: Without any subsidies from the Government?
The Director: No subsidies from the Government. The Centre comprises three institutes of Clinical Cardiology, the Experimental Cardiology and the Institute of Heart Disease Prevention.
The Indian Ambassador: We presume that the medical personnel is staffed with experienced scientists?
The Director: Not only. A quarter of the Centre’s scientific staff of 500 are young researchers.
The First Secretary of the Ecuadorian Embassy: All equipment and medicines you are using here is of Soviet manufacture?
The Director: Not necessarily. We have scientific exchange agreements with a number of foreign countries and they supply us with some of their advanced equipment.
Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy: Cardiovascular diseases are known to affect people of all ages, especially the elderly. Do you work out recommendations for the people of this group?
The Director: Yes, we study the causes and focus the attention on heart disease prevention.
Ambassador of Nigeria: From what we see here it’s obvious that your Government considers people’s health a matter of state importance. Do you share your rich experience in this field with the less developed countries?
The Director: Yes, we do. Apart from the theoretical aspect of research and the results of the experiments which are open to any state, we helped in equipment of hospitals in some countries.
Ambassador of Ecuador: Namely?
The Director: In Ethiopia, Angola, India, to mention only a few.
Ambassador of Madagascar: I think that the Cardiological Centre is a spectacular example of the great attention your Government is paying to public health.
First Secretary of the US Embassy: Somebody asked at the beginning of our visit whether you, sir, welcome us here as your guests or patients. I for one don’t mind if I ever have a heart attack to be admitted to your Centre as a patient.
