Vol. 19, No. 37

Aug. 10, 2000

Prof delivers medical supplies during Cuban conference

W hen Gordon DiRenzo, sociology, attended a conference in Cuba, he carried out a one-man airlift of medical supplies, which are in short supply in that country and were donated by pharmaceutical companies. "In order to do this, I had to get a license from the U.S. Treasury. I was allowed to bring in 20 pounds, but stretched the weight limit and donated two large cartons to the obstetrics department of the Hospital of Santiago de Cuba." DiRenzo said. "I brought them basic supplies of antibiotics and other medicines, tapes and bandages, and they were very grateful. Congress is considering lifting the embargo on food and medicine for Cuba since my visit," he added. "When Castro came into power and the country became communist, 6,000 of the 9,000 physicians left Cuba," DiRenzo said, "but now the number of doctors has grown, and some are sent abroad to help Third World countries. However, they are not paid well (patrolmen on the streets are paid more), and some tend bar to earn extra money. Although medical care is available to everyone, it is about 30 years behind the United States and not the sophisticated care we have." A social psychologist, DiRenzo was in Cuba at the invitation of an American organization, the Cuban Research and Education Association, where he delivered a paper on "National Character in Socialistic Societies." After the conference, he toured the country from one end to the other with his colleagues, some of whom were originally Cuban. "We visited homes, talked to government officials and to people on the street," DiRenzo said. "We also visited an AIDS clinic in a Catholic church, founded and supported by its pastor. He said there are only 385 AIDS cases in Cuba but, aside from one other clinic, AIDS patients have no other place to go for help so we gave the director some supplies and a contribution. "Cuba is a controlled dictatorship and like all dictatorships, the children belong to the state," he said. "Castro has essentially done away with illiteracy, although many people may not read at a high level. There is tremendous poverty in Cuba, and food and other commodities are in short supply and rationed. For example, milk is available only to children. However, ice cream is available with separate facilities for tourists and Cubans--there's a 10-minute wait for a 10-cent ice cream cone for Cubans and no line for tourists, but the cone costs $1. "Since communism collapsed, tourism is now becoming an important part of the Cuban economy," he said. "Hotels are going up, and Canadians and Germans have financed a new airport. There is a double currency of pesos and dollars, and a dollar store where anyone with dollars can purchase goods. Dollars are sought after, and, in fact, people do not want to live in rural areas because there are no opportunities to get any hard currency. "Cuba is a lovely country and its two major cities, Havana and Trinidad, have a heritage of colonial architecture and art. Music also plays an important part in Cuban culture. It was an interesting experience to have an opportunity to visit Cuba and see firsthand what is going on," DiRenzo said. — Sue Moncure