Spanish Version

Venezuela’s oligarchy bitterly criticizes President Chávez for the oil aid it furnishes the government of Havana. In fact, Cuba receives 98,000 barrels of oil daily, at preferential rates.

However, the Caribbean island is not the only nation that benefits from such favorable accords. Most of the countries in the region — such as Haiti, Jamaica and Nicaragua — enjoy that policy of solidarity. London and several U.S. cities also enjoy Venezuela’s generosity without creating much controversy (1).

Chávez answered those attacks personally during his TV program “Hello, president,” on Sept. 30, 2007. According to him, the debt the Venezuelans have contracted with Cuba is much more important than the aid in energy that they provide to the Caribbean island.

“Those who accuse me of giving oil away to Cuba are foolish. If someone figured it out, bolivar by bolivar, cent by cent ..”

The president recalled that 30,000 Cuban doctors have been working for more than five years in Venezuela, in a voluntary and gratuitous manner. He said the Cuban health professionals saved more lives in five years than the Venezuelan doctors throughout Venezuela’s history of health service.

That aid “has no price,” he stressed. “What is worth more, in objective prices? The barrels of oil we sell to Cuba or this?” (2).

At present, about 9 million people benefit from the care given by the Cuban doctors, who have seen more than 60 million patients nationwide. The “Barrio Adentro” (”Inner City”) missions have allowed all Venezuelans to have universal and gratuitous access to medical attention. The development of preventive medicine saved the lives of 1,153 children in 2007, according to the Ministry of Health (3).

Thanks to the Cuban medical presence and Chávez’s political will, six new hospitals are being built in Barinas, Mérida, Guárico, Miranda, Apure and the Capital District. “Inner City” has gone into its fourth phase. The government expects to invest 800 million euros (2.5 billion bolivares or US$1.14 billion) in the Public Health System (4).

Chávez also announced a 60-percent wage increase for Venezuelan doctors who work for the State, beginning Nov. 1, 2007. “I know that doctors’ salaries fell behind. […] This is fair for those who work for the health of Venezuelans,” he declared (5).

He also emphasized that the rise in the price of oil had permitted that economic effort (6). Of course, the Medical Association of Venezuela expressed its satisfaction (7). The minimum salary for a physician starting to work for the public administration will be 822 euros per month, [US$1,175] an extraordinarily high sum in a Third-World country (8).

Teachers are not falling behind. The Public Education Ministry has increased their salaries by 40 percent, beginning on Nov. 1, 2007 (9).

On the opposite end, President Bush vetoed legislation approved by Congress that would provide medical care for poor children, claiming budget restraints, yet he spends billions of dollars in the illegitimate and murderous occupation of Iraq.

Two visions of society — Chávez’s and Bush’s — are pitted against each other: the welfare of the neediest on one hand, and the profits of the multinational corporations on the other (10).

To fight the excessive consumption of alcohol and tobacco and to reduce the population’s health problems, the Venezuelan government increased the taxes on liquor (50 percent) and cigarettes (70 percent). “We are one of the countries that consume the largest volume of whiskey,” Chávez lamented. The sale of beer on the streets will be prohibited from now on.

This entire arsenal of measures is part of the preventive policy that compels the government to improve the health of Venezuelans (11).

Cuba and Venezuela again fortified their regional integration by signing 14 new accords of economic cooperation on Oct. 15, 2007 (12). During his speech, Chávez reiterated his admiration for Cuba, much to the ire of the Venezuelan opposition.

“Fidel is a father to our people. Cuba is an example to our revolution. Venezuela loves Cuba; our people love the Cuban people and have much to thank them for” (13). Then, addressing his detractors, he asked: “How much would any country have to pay for having 30,000 doctors, nurses, eye doctors and dentists 24 hours a day, serving throughout the territory? […] Someone please answer me!” (14).

The integration of Cuba and Venezuela is a model the rest of the continent should follow. It is the only way to ward off Washington’s threats, achieve true independence and improve the standard of living of the populations.

Notes

(1) Mauricio Vicent, “Venezuelan president alludes in Cuba to a federation of the two countries”, El País, Oct. 16, 2007.
(2) Associated Press, “Chávez says Venezuela is indebted to Cuba”, Oct. 1, 2007.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Bolivarian News Agency, “Inner City Four kicked off with the construction of six specialized hospitals”, Sept. 30, 2007.
(5) Associated Press, “Chávez announces increase in wages to doctors in en Venezuela”, Oct. 8, 2007.
(6) Bolivarian News Agency, “Chávez announces 60-percent wage increase for doctors”, Oct. 8, 2007.
(7) Bolivarian News Agency, “Metropolitan District’s medical association OKs 60-percent increase”, Oct. 9, 2007.
(8) Bolivarian News Agency, “Doctors pleased with 60-percent wage increase”, Oct. 9 2007.
(9) Associated Press, “Chávez announces wage increase for teachers in Venezuela”, Oct. 5, 2007.
(10) David Stout, “Bush Defends Veto of Health Care Bill”, The New York Times, Oct. 15, 2007.
(11) Christopher Toothaker, “Chávez campaigns against drinking and consumerism”, Associated Press, Oct. 9, 2007.
(12) Bolivarian News Agency, “Venezuela and Cuba sign 14 new integration accords”, Oct. 15, 2007.
(13) Granma, “Cuba and Venezuela are in the best condition to move forward in a process of union. Speech by Hugo Chávez Frías, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, during the signing of accords between Venezuela and Cuba, at the Palace of Conventions on Oct. 15, 2007, Year 49 of the Revolution”, Oct. 16, 2007.
(14) Associated Press, “Chávez says Venezuela is indebted to Cuba”, op. cit.

Salim Lamrani is a French professor, writer and journalist who specializes on U.S.-Cuba relations. He has written “Washington contre Cuba” (Pantin: Le Temps des Cerises, 2005), “Cuba face à l’Empire” (Genève: Timeli, 2006) and “Fidel Castro, Cuba et les Etats-Unis” (Pantin: Le Temps des Cerises, 2006). This article may be reproduced free of charge, so long as the author and source are cited.

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