Economics With A Face

As a patient exited the office I got look around the office briefly before the next person’s turn. There was a large picture of Fidel on the wall and while I was expecting a young doctor fresh out of medical school in Havana, instead the Cuban doctor looked to me like he was over 70.

I finished up my discussion with the patients and headed over to Emily who was talking with a well-dressed, middle-aged man who seemed very interested in our curiosity about the program. It turns out he was a director of various cultural programs set up by Chavez, and not surprisingly, a strong supporter.

He explained how the Cuban doctor trade for Venezuelan oil was going well. If there was something that the doctor could not treat here in Venezuela or if operations were needed, Venezuelans and their family members would be flown to Cuba, all expenses paid, to have their medical treatment. Em asked, remembering the poor state of the Cuba situation for Cubans themselves, who paid for all of these expenses? Well Cuba, of course, as part of the oil for doctors agreement. Em then asked, where are the Venezuelan doctors? He explained that Venezuelan doctors were selfish and only concerned with making money. Being a doctor, he said, was more about helping people. Cuban doctors practiced not for money (i.e. not to feed themselves or support themselves) but to help others in need. Em later relayed to me how she found it ironic that this well dressed, clearly well connected man used the Barrio Adentro system that in theory was set up for the poor.

Other topics ranged from the theory we’ve heard repeatedly on the trip that Bush was responsible for bringing down the WTC towers, to the recent history of Venezuela, to various example how the press, opposition parties, and of course the U.S. were lying to try to distort Chavez’s good record.

I just listened calmly to his points not wanting to turn an already 40 minute conversation into a pointless debate. Em on the other hand was unable to just let this guy spout off unchallenged. She finally broke when he presented what he thought was something we had never heard in the U.S. before, that Bush not only stole Florida, but also Ohio in the last election. “Well, thankgoodness at least we have a strong constitution that guarantees that after 2008 we know he won’t be in office” Since Chavez has extended the maximum of 5 years in office to a maximum of 12 years in office, and is toying with the idea of extending it to 32, the guy changed the subject.

Tonight we headed back over to Vladimir’s house for a traditional Venezuelan dinner. We had a variety of Venezuelan dishes that Em recorded in photography. Vladimir and his family are great and we have been so lucky to have gotten to know them this week. Over dinner we of course had many more interesting conversations. It’s hilarious some of the things Chavez does and it just seems everyone here just laughs about it as a release.

They were saying that Chavez tells a story that his one encounter with Bush was in Quebec a few years ago. There were several people between them and while U.S. secret service agents were moving them apart Chavez yelled to Bush “I want to be your friend!!!” to which Bush supposedly yelled back “I want to be your friend too!!” We also talked about the baseball game between Cuba and Venezuela in which both Castro and Chavez took part in. They still jokingly argue whether or not Chavez struck out Castro in an at bat after the game. These guys are character and make you want to laugh until you remember that Fidel is a dictator and Chavez is getting close to earning that title. It is also interesting that just last week the vice president of Cuba stated that Cuba really has two presidents: Castro and Chavez. Possible successor?

We’re now back at the house and about to do some proof reading and post over a month of updates. Should be fun.