CUBAN MEDICAL COOPERATION WITHIN ALBA: THE CASE OF VENEZUELA

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/41945946
• Published date: 01 July 2011
• Date: 01 July 2011
• Pages: 221-234
• Author: John M. Kirk

CUBAN MEDICAL COOPERATION WITHIN

ALBA: THE CASE OF VENEZUELA

John M. Kirk

Dalhousie

University

Abstract

Cuba's

policy

of medical

internationalism still remains a

great mystery

for

many, despite

its

existence

for

fully

five

decades,

and a record that

puts

the

'developed'

world to shame.

Perhaps

this is because it is not

presented

as

'aid',

but rather

as

cooperation,

and humanitarian

solidarity

-

a

concept

which the industrialised nations and their

paternalistic approach

fail to

understand.

By

far the

largest degree

of medical

cooperation

is

found

in

Venezuela,

where

in

March 2010 there were

29,255

Cuban medical

personnel, including

11,322

doctors

('Médicos

cubanos'

2010).

There is a substantial

body

of literature

published

on this

decade-long

relationship,

although

sadly

it has been reduced to the

simplistic concept

of a 'doctors for oil

swap'.

This article seeks to trace the evolution of

bilateral

cooperation

between

Venezuela

and

Cuba,

to

provide

an

analysis

of these close

ties,

and to

explore

the nature of the medical

cooperation

that is such a

key

to the

relationship.

Keywords:

Cuba, Venezuela, ALBA, medical, doctors,

cooperation,

internationalism

The

exemplary relationship

between the nations of Cuba

and Venezuela led to the birth

of

the Bolivarian Alliance for Our

America

(ALBA).

It also

represents

an

example

of

our

unity

to break the chains of

imperialism.1

Hugo

Chávez,

7

November 2010

Introduction

Cuba's

policy

of medical internationalism still

remains a great mystery

for

many,

despite

its existence for

fully

five

decades,

and a record that

puts

the

'developed'

world

to

shame.

Perhaps

this

is because it is not

presented

as 'aid',

but rather as

cooperation,

and humanitarian

solidarity

- a concept

which the industrialised

nations and their

paternalistic

approach

fail to understand.

(By

contrast it is

often

presumed

that the North-South transfer

of

technology

and

expertise

will

bring

solutions that are

readily exportable

to

developing

and

underdeveloped

countries.)

The list of

examples

of Cuban

cooperation

is

extraordinary:

1.8

million

IJCS

Produced

and distributed

by

Pluto

Journals

cubanstudies.plutojournals.org