Food For Thought by Dr. Terence A Marryshow.
Sinister undercurrents against Cuba in Grenada
There are a number of sinister undercurrents in the society in recent times which are threatening to derail the good relations between Grenada and Cuba. While there are many which for the moment remain unpublicized, an article appearing in last week's edition of the New Today newspaper, under the caption "Cuban Doctors are Defecting " quoted a high profile medical doctor who chose to remain anonymous, speaking in a disparaging terms of the Cuban medical mission in Grenada.Among the allegations he made is that Cuba is sending us very substandard people who are not capable of holding their own, they send the bottom of the basket and that it is just a money making thing for Cuba.
These allegations are patently false. Dozens of Cuban doctors and dentists have served the Grenadian people since 1979 when diplomatic relations were established between Grenada and Cuba during the reign of the People's Revolutionary
'Government (PRG) led by Maurice Bishop. Grenadians then and now have always been very appreciative of the medical assistance rendered by the Cuban medical personnel and it was certainly one of the highlights of that period. Despite the unexpected turn of events which saw the collapse of the Revolution and the untimely withdrawal of the Cuban cooperation with Grenada in 1983 due to counter- revolution and invasion, the void was never filled by any other country until the renewal of relations between the two countries in 1994. Cuba has always stood willing and ready to assist countries of the third world when no other was willing to do so. Cuba has provided assistance in the form of international solidarity to 165 countries that have benefitted more than 2 billion people worldwide.
As a Cuban trained Medical Doctor myself, having lived among the Cuban people for 7 years, I find it deplorable that any Grenadian Doctor trained in Cuba would speak ill of Cuban doctors who are sacrificing their time and energy away from their families to help us here in Grenada.While there are some who have no gratitude for the education that they received in Cuba and spend their time casting aspersions and denigrating the same system that trained them, they are the ones that should really be considered the bottom of the barrel. I am and will forever be grateful to Cuba for making me what I am today and I am proud to say that I am a Cuban trained graduate. If one has spent years studying in Cuba and have not become sensitized to the plight of the Cuban people, the deleterious effects of the blockade and the tremendous sacrifice they make on a daily basis on our behalf to give us the kind of education that have inculcated in us the need to return to serve our country, then that education would have been for naught. How many medical graduates from other universities can we find today working in the Grenada Health system? I can say unequivocally that the number is very small and hence the need to turn to a country like Cuba to fill the void that they have done willingly and selflessly. Does this doctor really think we can repay Cuba for the cost incurred in training hundreds of our professionals which would easily run into millions of dollars which was provided at no cost?
Cuba is a country blockaded by the US for the last 60 odd years and have had to use their ingenuity to survive. Even If they are using medical cooperation as a means of generating revenue to help their people, what is so wrong with that? It is not as if they are going around the world dropping bombs on people or creating strife and havoc in these countries.
They are providing health care for millions of people deprived of quality health care and Grenada is but a drop in the bucket. Cuban doctors are not paid the same way as Grenadian doctors. In fact they are paid significantly less and many of them are specialists who are not substandard by any stretch of the imagination. This is not to say that all are of the same vintage the same way that not all doctors in Grenada are of the same vintage but to single out one or two who may have been incompetent and generalize that all are the same is not only unfair to these doctors but grossly disrespectful to them.This particular Doctor needs to do some serious soul- searching because he could not have been accepted for postgraduate training if his Cuban training was substandard or unacceptable. In this relation between Cuba, mand Grenada, the biggest beneficiary is and has always been Grenada and we should be thankful for it. Cuba does not make money from Grenada and the paltry sum that their professionals receive can hardly compensate for what they have give and continue to give to the people of Grenada in one way or another.
Let us think of the scenario that Cuba now decides to withdraw their medical cooperation which is entirely within the realm of possibility. Who will be the losers? It will be Grenada and Certainly not Cuba. Who is going to step up and fill the void? If takes at least six years to train a medical doctor and another three of four years to become a specialist depending on the specialty that one chooses, does this doctor see any influx of Grenadian specialists in the next ten years?
Governments in the past were not able to keep trained nurses here leaving them no alternative but to go overseas to earn a living. Does this doctor see Grenadian doctors being attracted to, returning and staying in Grenada at the salaries that they will earn here compared to what they can make in other countries?
There is a saying "Don't bite the hand that feeds you" and this is particularly applicable in this case of the doctor's allegation against Cuba. Having been trained in Cuba and bucking the Cuban system, he is in fact bucking himself because he would probably be nothing or not be able to afford a medical education elsewhere knowing for example that it costs hundred of thousands of dollars to become a doctor in the US. It also calls into question his own qualifications because he received them from Cuban institutions as his Cuban counterparts. Whatever he is today, he owes to the Cuban system that trained him and his hypocrisy could not be more blatant. In calling for the new government to concentrate on building our own capacity, he is obviously not mindful of the fact that the same Cuban system is providing the training for Grenadian specialists with a view to replacing the Cubans who are serving here. Whether he recognizes it or not, Cuba is the one helping us to build our own capacity..
..... Just Food For Thought!