Speech by Fidel Castro Sept 19
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Although every person and every people has the right to a
healthy life and to enjoy the privilege of a long and useful ex-
istence, the richest, most developed societies, ruled by consum-
erism and a thirst for profit, have made the health service into
a common business, inaccessible to the poorest sectors of the
population.
While the world watches this happen, military spending amounts
to one trillion dollars every year, a figure only comparable to
one other absurd expense, that is, commercial publicity, which
also equals one trillion. Either of these sums, invested wisely
year after year, would be more than enough to ensure that all
the people of the world lived a decent life.
Neither the climate nor genetic potential are causing this trag-
edy. Cuba, a tropical country, with a hot and humid climate, a
favourable environment for viruses, bacteria and fungus, whose
population is a mixture of ethnicities, subjected to a cruel
blockade and economic war for almost half a century, has, de-
spite all this, an infant mortality rate of less than 6 per 1000
live births under one year of age, a rate that falls just below
that of Canada, and is headed towards 5 and maybe even less than
4 in the near future, which will put Cuba in first place in the
continent. Furthermore, it will take our country half the time
it took Sweden and Japan to raise life expectancy from 70 to 80
years, as it today stands at 77.5 years of age. Its medical ser-
vices have increased this expectancy by almost 18 years, from a
rate of approximately 60 years at the time of the triumph of the
Revolution in January 1959.
These words might sound presumptuous if it were not possible to
rightly describe our Homeland today as the country that has done
more than any other nation in the world to share its medical ex-
pertise and experience with other peoples.
Tens of thousands of Cuban doctors and healthcare professionals
stationed around the world are irrefutable proof of what I am
saying. For them, there will never be any language barriers,
sacrifice, danger or obstacles. It is now 43 years since Cuba
sent its first brigade to Algeria, a country that had only just
freed itself from colonialism following a heroic struggle for
independence.
After more than four decades, and with the special period draw-
ing to an end, the healthcare system has become the most impor-
tant sector in the exchange of goods and services between our
country and the rest of the world in economical terms; but de-
spite this Cuba has not failed to offer its medical assistance
completely free of charge to more than 60 Third World countries
lacking economic resources. That is how it has always been and
how it always will be.
It is a fact that the medical assistance given by Cuba and its
scientific institutions to other parts of the world is spreading
rapidly in the interest of humanity. There is nothing strange
about the behavior of Cuba, which did not hesitate to offer the
people of the United States the immediate dispatch of experi-
enced doctors with the essential resources needed to administer
emergency care to people in mortal danger following a serious
natural disaster. Also, our country was closest to the area hit
by the hurricane and was in the position to send over human and
material aid in a matter of hours. It was as if a big American
cruise ship with thousands of passengers aboard were sinking in
waters close to our coast.
We could not remain indifferent. No-one would believe that this
aid could be taken as an offence or a humiliation. Our message
was sent to the federal authorities of the United States just
after Katrina, with her devastating force, battered New Orleans.
It hurts to think that maybe some of those desperate people,
trapped by the water and at deaths door, could have been saved.
It is a harsh lesson for those whos false pride and mistaken
concepts led them to decide not to respond even belatedly, to
our offer, which isnt the first time in these circumstances.
We discussed this issue publicly because on the long list of
countries that offered help, the name of Cuba was omitted, which
confused and even startled many friends of our country around
the world. We explained this on September 2, three days after
making our offer, specifying that we were prepared to send 1,100
doctors by air, in a period of between 12 and 36 hours, with 24
tons of essential medications in their backpacks; 48 hours went
by, and on September 4, that force already composed of 1,586
professionals and ready to leave with 36 tons of medication, was
meeting at the Convention Center where it was given the name of
Henry Reeve Medical Force, in memory of that exceptional young
American combatant who died fighting for Cubas independence.
On September 12th the International Contingent of Doctors Spe-
cialized in Disaster Situations and Serious Epidemics was
formed. This will take the place of the Medical Force formed to
help the people of the United States when Katrina hit the south
of this country with all its brutal force. Its aim will not just
be to help a certain nation, but to give immediate assistance,
with its specially trained staff, to any country that suffers a
catastrophe, particularly those that are hit by hurricanes,
floods or other natural phenomena of this severity.
By then, 14 days had gone by without any reply to our offer.
During the night of Wednesday, September 14, I met again with
all the members of that force, who were in the process of deep-
ening their knowledge, in order to inform them of the statement
made by the Governor of Louisiana, which had been received in
Cuba that every same day, and the message sent by Bruno
Rodriquez, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the content
of which I shall read out now, word for word, so that you may
all know about it.
Honorable Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, Governor of the state of
Louisiana. Madame Governor:
We have carefully read your Executive Order No KBB 2005-33 es-
tablishing the Declaration of Public Health Emergency and Sus-
pension of In-State Licensure for Medical Professionals and Per-
sonnel Licensed Out-of-State, quoting that although scores of
people have been rescued, there are many more persons waiting
for rescue, evacuation and medical assistance, and many citizens
have suffered or will suffer injury and/or illness
.. The Dec-
laration also states that `
.. the number of medical profession-
als and personnel currently available to the State to respond to
this emergency are insufficient and there is a need to immedi-
ately supplement their number in order to serve those affected
by this disaster
I would like to communicate to you that the necessary Cuban
personnel, up to 1,586 qualified and experienced physicians,
carrying the appropriate medicines that the new circumstances
may dictate, that was offered to the United States to assist the
population and relieve the suffering of the victims of Hurricane
Katrina, stands ready to fly immediately to the State of Louisi-
ana as soon as you have the corresponding authorization from the
federal authorities.
Bruno Rodriquez Parrilla, a.i
Now, it is September 19, another five days have passed and the
federal authorities havent said a word. There is, therefore,
growing reason to believe that on this occasion the generous and
timely offer made by our people will not be accepted.
It is necessary to train the doctors needed in the countryside,
in the villages, in the poor and marginalized neighborhoods of
Third World cities. Even in extremely rich countries like the
United States, tens of millions of Afro-Americans, Indians,
Latin American Immigrants, Haitians and many other have no
healthcare programs or medical care.
We are offering to train professionals who are prepared to
struggle against death. We shall prove that there is a solution
to many of the planets tragedies. We are proving that man can
and must better himself. We are proving the value of conscience
and ethics. We are offering life.
--
Claudio Schuftan
mailto:claudio@hcmc.netnam.vn