WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.000
[sil.]

00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:24.999
On this remote mountain in Cuba

00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:29.999
is one of the smallest
public schools in the world.

00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:34.999
Since the victory of the
revolution in 1959,

00:00:35.000 --> 00:00:39.999
Cuba has established one
of the highest standards

00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:44.999
for education and healthcare in the world.

00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:49.999
Wendy Gomez(ph) is a Cuban doctor.
She and her nurse Marian Fortina(ph)

00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:54.999
spend half their working
day making house calls.

00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:59.999
Cuban medicine is dispensed
with care and compassion.

00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:04.999
But the financial crisis created by the
collapse of the Soviet bloc in 1989

00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:09.999
threatened all of Cuba’s social programs.

00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:14.999
What Cubans did to preserve and
expand their social commitments

00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:19.999
is the accidental revolution.

00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:28.000
[music]

00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:44.999
For over 450 years,

00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:49.999
Cuba was under the influence of
an international superpower.

00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:54.999
First Spain, then the United
States, and after the revolution,

00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:59.999
the Soviet Union. The collapse of the Soviet
Bloc created severe economic hardship,

00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:04.999
but to many Cubans, it was the
beginning of true independence

00:02:05.000 --> 00:02:09.999
for the country.

00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:14.999
That independence has come at
tremendous cost. Since 1989,

00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:19.999
the Cuban people have suffered hardship, an
era, Fidel Castro called the special period.

00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:24.999
Despite the difficulties,

00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:29.999
the Fidel Castro has maintained his power.

00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:34.999
He’s done so by finding ways to
sustain Cuba’s universal healthcare.

00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:39.999
Its commitment to education
and social security

00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:44.999
and development of a new economy.
These were the cornerstones

00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:49.999
of Cuba’s revolution.

00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:54.999
Gregory Biniowsky is a Canadian
who has lived in Cuba since 1992.

00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:59.999
He’s watched Cuba struggle
through its economic crisis.

00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:04.999
They have a set of priorities, some bottomlines
that they have… they haven’t violated.

00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:09.999
I mean, they said, right in the beginning of special period, no matter
how bad it gets, they’re not gonna close down hospitals or schools.

00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:14.999
And compared to many other societies, where
that’s the kind of the soft underbelly,

00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:19.999
that’s the first thing that’s cut in a financial crisis, they’ve
kept those things. So they’ve kept a basic standard of living

00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:24.999
below which no Cubans were allowed to fall.

00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:29.999
If you have a population that has absolutely nothing to lose
and very difficult conditions, then you have social upheaval.

00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:34.999
In this case, there were certain standards

00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:39.999
which basically keeps their
loyalty to the government.

00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:44.999
Cuba is an island nation geographically,

00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:49.999
politically and culturally.

00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:54.999
The city of Havana is like
no other in the world.

00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:59.999
[music]

00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:04.999
It’s an eclectic mix of Spanish,
African, Russian and U.S. influences.

00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:09.999
It’s less than a 150 kilometers

00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:14.999
from the United States.

00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:19.999
Since the revolution, Cuba has been
under severe U.S. trade sanctions.

00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:24.999
Havana’s curious collection of antic cars

00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:29.999
is a relic of the U.S.
embargo imposed in 1959.

00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:34.999
The Cristo, a towering Christian icon

00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:39.999
surveys a communist state.

00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:44.999
It’s one of many paradoxes of Cuba

00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:49.999
that a communist state would
permit religious freedom.

00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:54.999
Fidel Castro has ruled Cuba
for nearly half a century.

00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:59.999
[non-English narration]

00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:04.999
For the first 30 years, his country
was subsidized by the Soviet Bloc.

00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:09.999
The man driving the sugar harvester

00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:14.999
is Che Guevara, a hero of the revolution.

00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:19.999
He became the minister of industry
responsible for developing Cuba’s economy.

00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:24.999
He played an important role

00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:29.999
in Cuba’s alliance with the
Soviet Union. In 1963,

00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:34.999
he talked to CBC newsman Knowlton Nash about
Cuba’s industrial relationship with the soviets.

00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:39.999
Where do the machines coming from
that you have, what countries?

00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:44.999
[non-English narration]

00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:49.999
He explains that the machinery comes from the Soviet
Union, Romania, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia.

00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:54.999
Countries in the Soviet Bloc.

00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:59.999
[sil.]

00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:04.999
Che Guevara was devoted to the concept
of universal healthcare and education.

00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:09.999
A soldier by temperament, he may
overtime have become frustrated

00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:14.999
by the politics of revolution. In
1966, he left Cuba for Bolivia.

00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:19.999
His plan was to start a revolution

00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:24.999
that would turn all of Latin
America to communism.

00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:29.999
On October 8, 1967,

00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:34.999
he was captured by the Bolivian army.
On October 9, he was executed.

00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:43.000
[sil.]

00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:49.999
It was 30 years before his
remains were returned to Cuba.

00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:54.999
Overtime, he became a revolutionary icon in
Cuba and an international symbol of rebellion.

00:06:55.000 --> 00:07:03.000
[non-English narration]

00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:14.999
Cuban communists have created
a revolutionary trinity.

00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:19.999
Fidel Castro is the victor,
the supreme being.

00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:24.999
Che Guevara is the martyr.

00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:29.999
The ghost is José Martí.

00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:34.999
He was the philosopher, poet, patriot,
and war hero, who was killed in 1895

00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:39.999
in a rebellion that became
the Spanish American war.

00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:44.999
He wrote about justice and freedom
from Spanish colonialism.

00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:49.999
He’s quoted on buildings and billboards.

00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:54.999
His likeness is everywhere, from small bus
and private gardens to towering monuments.

00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:59.999
[music]

00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:04.999
With ample financial
support from the Soviets,

00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:09.999
Fidel Castro began the process
of transforming Cuban society.

00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:14.999
Nearly a quarter of the people
in the country were illiterate

00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:19.999
and living in poverty.
Over half of all Cubans

00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:24.999
died before the age of 60. The
promise of the revolution

00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:29.999
was to elevate the poor from their despair.

00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:34.999
Cubans refer to the period from 19…

00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:39.999
early 60s to 1989, 1990, as the umbilical cord
time or the time that they called the tubaria,

00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:44.999
the pipeline, when really all the resources that
Cuba wanted was sent to them by the Soviets for…

00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:49.999
for really easy credit or sometimes for free. So
their, their influence here was, was massive.

00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:54.999
The collapse of the Soviet Bloc in 1989

00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:59.999
created an economic crisis. The
beginning of the special period

00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:04.999
was a time of great privation for the
Cuban people. Almost all consumer goods

00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:09.999
were in short supply, most
critically food and energy.

00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:14.999
The average daily caloric
intake of the Cuban people

00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:19.999
fell by a third.

00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:24.999
To feed the people, Cuba established
the largest program in organic

00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:29.999
and sustainable farming ever undertaken.
With no fuel to transport food,

00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:34.999
they began to grow food in the city.

00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:39.999
Today, there are 10,000
urban gardens in Cuba.

00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:44.999
For the gardens, irrigation is critical.

00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:49.999
In Havana, clean fresh water
is a precious commodity.

00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:54.999
[music]

00:09:55.000 --> 00:09:59.999
Much of the city of Havana is in
the basin of the Almendares River.

00:10:00.000 --> 00:10:04.999
Like many urban rivers,

00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:09.999
it is severely polluted. The demand for clean
water from rapidly expanding urban gardens,

00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:14.999
means the Almendares watershed
has to be cleaned up.

00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:19.999
But the extreme economic privation from the
special period, means there is no money

00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:24.999
to build elaborate water treatment plants.

00:10:25.000 --> 00:10:29.999
Located in the center of the city, the grand
Metropolitan Park of Havana is a tropical oasis.

00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:34.999
The park and the Almendares
River that runs through it

00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:39.999
are under severe pressure from
the surrounding population.

00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:44.999
Cleaning up the river became the
responsibility of the management board

00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:49.999
of Havana’s grand park.

00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:54.999
Gregory Biniowsky works in Cuba as a consultant
for the Canadian International Development Agency

00:10:55.000 --> 00:10:59.999
and the U.N. Development Program.

00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:04.999
He’s involved in projects to clean up the
Almendares. He works with many Cuban scientists.

00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:09.999
Cuba is different from other countries.

00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:14.999
Few of the Africa or the Latin American countries,
they need ideas. Cuba doesn’t need ideas.

00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:19.999
They need the money to have their own ideas implemented. You
have a plethora of highly educated, and well trained people.

00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:24.999
Again, you go to typical
third world country,

00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:29.999
it is hard to find an engineer, it’s hard to find an economist. Here you
pick up any rock and there is an engineer and an economist underneath it.

00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:34.999
(inaudible) is a chemist

00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:39.999
who works for the park, specializing in
alternative water treatment technologies.

00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:44.999
This was a very bad area in terms
of sanitation and public health

00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:49.999
because of the poor condition of the river and also the
extremely poor sanitary conditions in the neighborhood.

00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:54.999
The entire river basin has
the same bad conditions.

00:11:55.000 --> 00:11:59.999
Preliminary studies determined
old factories along the river

00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:04.999
were some of the main sources of pollution.

00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:09.999
The Cuban government decided
to close the factories.

00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:14.999
[music]

00:12:15.000 --> 00:12:19.999
The other primary sources of pollution
are the neighborhoods in the watershed.

00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:24.999
Many of these have no
sewage treatment at all.

00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:29.999
This water treatment project
relies heavily on nature.

00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:34.999
It’s called a constructed wetland.

00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:39.999
This is nothing more
than the same physical,

00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:44.999
chemical, and biological process that
occurs in a conventional wetland.

00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:49.999
The system brings into play the
five components of an ecosystem.

00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:54.999
Soil, water, air, plants,
and microorganisms.

00:12:55.000 --> 00:12:59.999
What is a contaminant for water is nutrient
for plants. The plants take in the nutrients

00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:04.999
and clean the water.

00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:09.999
The wetland removes almost
85% of the pollutants.

00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:14.999
Cleaning up the watershed

00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:19.999
has benefits beyond food production. It’s
an important factor in the prevention

00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:24.999
of waterborne illnesses and disease.
Before the revolution,

00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:29.999
just over half of the children
in Cuba went to school.

00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:34.999
Fidel Castro’s determination
was that every Cuban child

00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:39.999
be given a free education.

00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:44.999
After the revolution, young educated people
from the city were send out into the country

00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:49.999
to teach the illiterate to read and write.
Schools were built in every part of the country

00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:54.999
with an emphasis on science,
medicine, and agriculture.

00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:59.999
[music]

00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:04.999
The municipality of La Palma is
a rural region in Western Cuba.

00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:09.999
[music]

00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:14.999
The local primary school is
on top of this mountain.

00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:19.999
The students come from
the surrounding valley.

00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:24.999
Every child in Cuba

00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:29.999
is guaranteed access to education, no matter how
remote the area or how small the community.

00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:34.999
This is one of the smallest
schools in the country.

00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:39.999
[music]

00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:44.999
It has seven students in
grades from one to six.

00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:49.999
Providing education in such a remote area is a
challenge because there is no electric power.

00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:54.999
However, the school has
solar panels on the roof.

00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:59.999
The teacher is Jovany Cruz.(ph)

00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:04.999
[non-English narration]

00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:09.999
For a long time, this school did not
have the benefits that it has today.

00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:14.999
There were none of the programs that
the revolution has now brought to us.

00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:19.999
Thanks to the revolution, we now have
solar panels that generate electricity

00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:24.999
for the school.

00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:29.999
And thanks to this, we now have a computer,

00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:34.999
a video machine and television
available in this area.

00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:39.999
And thanks to these communication
mediums that we have today,

00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:44.999
it helps me a lot with my job.
And with the computer programs,

00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:49.999
it’s like having another teacher in the classroom and
therefore, I’m able to extend the studies to the kids here.

00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:54.999
The school is an important
cultural center for the community

00:15:55.000 --> 00:15:59.999
because it’s the only
place with electricity,

00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:04.999
television, and a computer.

00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:09.999
This electronic equipment follows the
idea that they should be in all schools

00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:14.999
in the entire country because a child
today in an isolated rural area

00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:19.999
has just the same rights as a child in
the cities and more accessible areas.

00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:24.999
We use the same software as the kids in the city.
So this has stimulated a lot of confidence.

00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:29.999
So that the kids are not afraid anymore.
You can see that these students of mine

00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:34.999
are not like in other parts of the world. You can see
the spontaneity that they have. They are at ease

00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:39.999
and these kids have never
met foreigners before.

00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:44.999
Cuban education standards are
high, but it’s not all work.

00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:49.999
[music]

00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:54.999
Jovany(ph) is dedicated to his profession

00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:59.999
and to his students. Like
most Cuban professionals,

00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:04.999
he works where he’s told to work.

00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:09.999
From where I live to here is
about nine or ten kilometers.

00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:14.999
Here and back would be at least 20
kilometers. I get here on a bicycle,

00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:19.999
one part by bike and then
by walking up the mountain.

00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:24.999
Now the path is dry, but when
it rains, it is very difficult.

00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:29.999
But one has to continue. I have to keep the struggle
because someone has to take care of these kids

00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:34.999
and I’m willing to do
whatever is necessary.

00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:39.999
[music]

00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:44.999
Almost all students
graduate from high school.

00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:49.999
From there, many go on to vocational
training or to university.

00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:54.999
[music]

00:17:55.000 --> 00:17:59.999
One of the fruits of
Cuba’s education system

00:18:00.000 --> 00:18:04.999
is the number of doctors that have
been trained. This is a poly-clinical.

00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:09.999
There are 22 in Havana.

00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:14.999
They are a combination diagnostic
center and emergency facility.

00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:19.999
After the revolution, there were about

00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:24.999
3,000 medical practitioners left in the
country. Today, there’s a ratio of one doctor

00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:29.999
for every 170 residents. In the U.S.,

00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:34.999
the ratio is one for every 188 people.

00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:39.999
[sil.]

00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:44.999
People who come here for emergencies
are often seen in a matter of minutes.

00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:49.999
[sil.]

00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:54.999
All healthcare in Cuba is
provided free by the state.

00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:59.999
This is a typical neighborhood in Havana.

00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:04.999
[sil.]

00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:09.999
The local family doctor’s office is in
the basement of this apartment building.

00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:14.999
Wendy Gomez(ph) is the
neighborhood family doctor.

00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:19.999
Family doctors are the
frontline in Cuban healthcare.

00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:24.999
I had this interest since
I was a little girl.

00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:29.999
My grandfather was a surgeon. He
died when I was in the 12th grade,

00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:34.999
close to entering university. One
of my dreams was to be like him.

00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:39.999
So I studied medicine. It was
my only area of interest.

00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:44.999
[sil.]

00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:49.999
Cuban medicine is dramatically different
from care provided in developed countries.

00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:54.999
Rather than focusing on treating sick
people, the focus is on prevention.

00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:59.999
Each family doctor is responsible
for a specific community.

00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:04.999
The nurse and I

00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:09.999
attend to approximately 675
people in the community.

00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:14.999
We work four hours a day in
the clinic, seeing patients,

00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:19.999
and then four and a half
hours doing house calls.

00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:24.999
[music]

00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:29.999
In Cuba, much of the real medical
work is done out in the neighborhood

00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:34.999
visiting patients in their homes. They call
it integrated general practice medicine.

00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:39.999
[non-English narration]

00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:44.999
Integrated general practice medicine
is basically a preventive medicine.

00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:49.999
Diseases are prevented and complications
of diseases are prevented.

00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:54.999
We see our patients as integrated holds,

00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:59.999
that is not only as patients but also
as members of a family, a society.

00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:04.999
To have knowledge of these things, one needs to
visit and get to know the place where they live.

00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:09.999
There are things for example, that the patient forgets to
tell us about, then we can observe when we visit them.

00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:14.999
There are things that the patients
don’t know how to explain

00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:19.999
or don’t see or don’t want to mention.

00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:24.999
[sil.]

00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:29.999
Today, Cuba has the longest life expectancy

00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:34.999
and lowest infant mortality
rate of any developing country.

00:21:35.000 --> 00:21:39.999
Infant mortality is lower than
in some parts of North America.

00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:44.999
[non-English narration]

00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:49.999
Every person in Cuba has to be
seen at least twice a year.

00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:54.999
This woman’s birth
certificate says she’s 84.

00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:59.999
She says, she’s actually 94. Her birth wasn’t
registered until she was 10 years old.

00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:04.999
Despite her age, she’s still
able to live on her own.

00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:09.999
When they talk to us,

00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:14.999
not only do they tell us about their health problems
but also about the other problems in their lives,

00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:19.999
their family situation
or their work situation.

00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:24.999
There are also many elderly who live alone
and to a large degree the local doctor

00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:29.999
is the person who they see as family.
And this simply brings me happiness.

00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:34.999
It’s like I have an enormous
family of 675 patients.

00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:39.999
People who are grumpy
or happy, sad, or shy.

00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:44.999
But in one way or another,
they are part of my family.

00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:53.000
[music]

00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:59.999
Doctor Gomez lives in this Havana
apartment building with her husband Jose

00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:04.999
and their two young children. Jose
has a PhD in English literature.

00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:09.999
He edits magazines of literary criticism
and works for the department of education.

00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:14.999
Before the revolution, their apartment
belonged to her husband’s grand parents.

00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:19.999
In Cuba, housing can’t be bought and sold

00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:24.999
but it can be passed down to family
members. Wendy is an employee of the state.

00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:29.999
She earns the equivalent of $25 a month.

00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:34.999
For those of us who have
studied medicine in Cuba,

00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:39.999
it is very difficult to understand, how
in other countries a doctor can charge

00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:44.999
a patient for a consultation? This
is very difficult to conceive.

00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:49.999
I’m certain that the majority of patients I see in my neighborhood
would not be able to see a doctor in another country.

00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:54.999
Their socioeconomic
situation would prevent it.

00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:59.999
Though the quality of
healthcare is not compromised

00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:04.999
because of the economic crisis, some of
the methods have changed dramatically.

00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:09.999
Doctor Ricardo Cortés Salazar specializes
in traditional and natural medicines.

00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:14.999
Because of the embargo

00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:19.999
and the lack of money, Cuban medicine
has also have to find alternatives.

00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:24.999
[non-English narration]

00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:29.999
Many problems that are difficult to solve with
common or western medicine, can be solved. Why?

00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:34.999
Because traditional
medicine treats the whole.

00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:39.999
We see the patient as a whole being. For
example, a woman who is in menopause

00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:44.999
goes to a neurologist because of headaches.

00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:49.999
She also goes to a gynecologist
to treat menstrual problems.

00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:54.999
However, traditional medicine
can solve both these problems

00:24:55.000 --> 00:24:59.999
without the need to see
more than one doctor.

00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:04.999
Many aspects of Cuba’s healthcare system

00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:09.999
have shifted towards naturopathic methods. Doctor
Martha Helena is a family doctor in Havana.

00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:14.999
She often uses natural
methods with her patients.

00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:19.999
Really, we combine the medicines. It’s important
because sometimes we do not have enough medications

00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:24.999
because they have to be imported.
In this case,

00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:29.999
alternative medicines play an important
role. It plays an important role

00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:34.999
not only because they are needed but also
because it gives results. We’ve had results

00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:39.999
that are difficult to achieve
using western medicine.

00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:44.999
Although, Cuban medicine makes extensive use
of herbal and traditional eastern treatments,

00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:49.999
there are western type drugs
available to those who need them.

00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:54.999
Cuba in a new situation

00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:59.999
after the collapsing of the Soviet Bloc started
to develop its pharmaceutical industry

00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:04.999
and up until now, there has been a
big effort to develop this industry.

00:26:05.000 --> 00:26:09.999
The patients can choose what kind of medicine they want.
If they need a western type of antibiotic or other drug,

00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:14.999
they are available from the hospitals.

00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:19.999
This is the center

00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:24.999
of genetic engineering and
biotechnology in Havana.

00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:29.999
Cuba’s biotechnology industry
began in the early 1980s.

00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:34.999
The first product was
interferon, a cancer drug.

00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:39.999
Initially, it was produced from human blood.
The scientists couldn’t get enough blood

00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:44.999
to produce the amount of interferon they needed.
They decided to use recombinant DNA biotechnology

00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:49.999
to produce interferon in fermenters.

00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:54.999
Doctor Manuel Ruiz(ph)

00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:59.999
is a microbiologist at the center.

00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:04.999
In a 100 liter fermenter, just
in 24 hours of fermentation

00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:09.999
we were able to collect the
same amount of interferon

00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:14.999
as in 50,000 blood donation.

00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:19.999
And suddenly the Cuban National Academy of
Science, the Cuban Health System realized

00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:24.999
that genetic engineer and
microbiology can be a tremendous tool

00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:29.999
to improve the quality of life of Cuba.

00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:34.999
And it was necessary to think very big.

00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:39.999
Before 1989, Cuba’s drug
industry was heavily subsidized.

00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:44.999
This changed with the special period. Cubans
decided to market their medicines internationally.

00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:49.999
We decided to commercialize
some of our product

00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:54.999
not with the interest
to make a lot of profit

00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:59.999
but with the interest to
work in positive cash flow,

00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:04.999
in building new centers that could
generate a network of biotech center

00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:09.999
and can make Cuban biotech more
competitive in… in the future.

00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:14.999
Biotechnology labs require
sophisticated equipment,

00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:19.999
like mass spectrometers and
electron microscopes to analyze

00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:24.999
the structure of molecules. Purchased
before the special period,

00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:29.999
many of these machines are obsolete.
There are no spare parts available.

00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:34.999
Cuban engineers have learnt to make
the parts they need for maintenance.

00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:39.999
We were very lucky because
since the very beginning,

00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:44.999
we figured out that the situation might
happen in the future. So we trained engineers

00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:49.999
uh… electronic people, specializing
how to do maintenance.

00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:54.999
Many Cuban biotechnology
products are exported.

00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:59.999
There are many cooperative projects with biotech
firms in other countries. Even foreign subsidiaries

00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:04.999
of U.S. multinationals and collaborations
with many universities worldwide.

00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:09.999
The center for biotechnology
employs 1,500 scientists.

00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:14.999
Like Cuban doctors, they
make about the $25 a month.

00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:19.999
Cuba’s biotechnology produces and sells

00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:24.999
many different drugs and vaccines.
Within the country,

00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:29.999
the drugs have helped eradicate a number of tropical
diseases. The vaccination program for children

00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:34.999
is the most comprehensive one
of any country in the world.

00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:39.999
[sil.]

00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:44.999
Today, Cuba exports another product

00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:49.999
of its revolutionary healthcare. The
consent of the revolutionary doctor

00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:54.999
has been a part of the Cuban
Revolution from its beginning.

00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:59.999
Che Guevara, was trained as a doctor and specialized
in the treatment of leprosy and allergies.

00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:04.999
Today thousands of Cuban doctors

00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:09.999
are working in poor countries,
in Latin America and Africa.

00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:14.999
There are 25,000 doctors
working in 68 countries.

00:30:15.000 --> 00:30:19.999
In Venezuela, the services of Cuban doctors

00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:24.999
are exchanged for oil. Nearly
2,000 doctors went to Pakistan

00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:29.999
to aid earthquake victims.
When she graduated,

00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:34.999
doctor Martha Helena was sent to Africa.

00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:39.999
I was in Africa for two years.

00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:44.999
It was very beneficial to me because
sometimes reality is not shown on TV.

00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:49.999
I loved those people very much.

00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:54.999
I was ashamed because their economic
problems are worse than ours

00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:59.999
and they get very little help from the
state. All these things help me a lot.

00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:04.999
Even though, I had graduated,

00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:09.999
it was my first school.

00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:18.000
[non-English narration]

00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:24.999
There are so many doctors serving
abroad, some people in Cuba

00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:29.999
are beginning to worry, there won’t
be enough doctors left for Cubans.

00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:34.999
Cuba also trains doctors

00:31:35.000 --> 00:31:39.999
from other poor countries. This is the
Latin American school of medical sciences.

00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:44.999
There are 10,000 students

00:31:45.000 --> 00:31:49.999
in the school and in the teaching clinics.

00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:54.999
The students come primarily from Latin
America and the Caribbean. To be accepted,

00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:59.999
a student must first be too poor to
finance his or her own education.

00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:04.999
Alberto Jose Rodriguez

00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:09.999
is from Caracas, Venezuela. He
became interested in medicine

00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:14.999
when a Cuban doctor working in
Venezuela stayed with his family.

00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:19.999
We had living with us in our home one of
those Cuban doctors helping the community.

00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:24.999
I’m from one of the poorest barrios in
Caracas and I saw this Cuban doctor.

00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:29.999
How he was helping the community and
it seems to me very beautiful work.

00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:34.999
It was a situation where he was
dedicating his life to something

00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:39.999
without caring about how much
money they were going to pay him.

00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:44.999
Daniel Philip Marie is from Columbia.
I tried to study

00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:49.999
in university after I came
out from the high school.

00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:54.999
But the… the cost of the university
in Columbia, especially in medicine,

00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:59.999
it’s very expensive. So we don’t have money

00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:04.999
and a lot of young people don’t have the
money in our countries to study medicine.

00:33:05.000 --> 00:33:09.999
And when we have the chance or
when I have the chance to came…

00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:14.999
to come here, uh… I decided to do it.
It’s… It’s for free.

00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:19.999
Food, books and everything that we need

00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:24.999
by the Cuban government.

00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:29.999
There are even three U.S.
students at the school.

00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:34.999
One of them is Brooklyn native Nikita
Thomas. I was in the post back program

00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:39.999
which is a program that you take
after you graduate from college

00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:44.999
umm… to fulfill requirements for medical
school in the states. Umm… also I was working…

00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:49.999
So I worked during the day and at night and went to
school in the middle of the day or sometimes on Saturday

00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:54.999
and I was saving money to… to try
to, you know, pay my way to school

00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:59.999
and to pay to even get into taking
that… the application process.

00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:04.999
It wasn’t possible for me.

00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:09.999
The Cuban medical program is six
years of study. The first two years

00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:14.999
are spent in the classroom.
The next four years

00:34:15.000 --> 00:34:19.999
are spent in teaching clinics and
hospitals working with patients.

00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:24.999
[non-English narration]

00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:29.999
The school was founded in 1998.

00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:34.999
The first class of 1,500 graduated in 2005.

00:34:35.000 --> 00:34:39.999
As is expected, most returned
to their homeland to practice.

00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:44.999
Alberto

00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:49.999
is anxious to go back to Caracas. One goal is to
dedicate my life to work for poor communities.

00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:54.999
To work there in the inner barrio program

00:34:55.000 --> 00:34:59.999
or with the indigenous communities.
No private doctors have gone

00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:04.999
because they don’t want to get their medical coats dirty. Because they would
have to live with people who have a completely different culture from theirs

00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:09.999
and to whom they feel superior
because they have an education.

00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:14.999
Well, it’s these places that I want to go.

00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:19.999
We learn here not only medicine but
humanity, that’s what we learn here.

00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:24.999
We’re learning about how the
work can be, how can you do,

00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:29.999
a lot of things with not
too many resources.

00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:34.999
In Cuba, it’s making a lot of
efforts uh… for giving the best of…

00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:39.999
of him to solidarity to internationalism.

00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:44.999
It’s uh… It’s showing to the world that
it’s possible to build another world.

00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:49.999
I want to… I want to help in the States.
I want to help in Brooklyn as well

00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:54.999
because the medical care that we received as a family growing up
was not adequate at all. I don’t… I didn’t like going to doctors.

00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:59.999
I still didn’t like going to doctors for that
reason. So I do wanna… wanna help in my community

00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:04.999
but I also… My parents are Caribbean and I would love
to work in the Caribbean as well and help there.

00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:09.999
There’s also a need in the Caribbean as
well. To receive a free medical education

00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:14.999
is a rare opportunity

00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:19.999
and most students are determined to help relieve
the suffering of poverty and injustice.

00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:24.999
We’re learning that every human
being have the right to be helped.

00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:29.999
We are the…

00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:34.999
the army to help them. We have to be any place
in the world, not with terrorism, not we were

00:36:35.000 --> 00:36:39.999
but with help and with cares.

00:36:40.000 --> 00:36:44.999
Che Guevara would likely have been pleased

00:36:45.000 --> 00:36:49.999
with the spirit of Latin America’s
new medical revolutionaries.

00:36:50.000 --> 00:36:54.999
[music]

00:36:55.000 --> 00:36:59.999
Much of Cuban society is
based on public service

00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:04.999
and selfless sacrifice. But
there is hedonism in Cuba.

00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:09.999
Every year, millions of wealthy
foreigners visit Cuba’s tourist resorts.

00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:14.999
Tourism became an economic necessity because
of the financial crisis of the special period.

00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:19.999
But it has placed a
strain on the revolution.

00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:24.999
Tourism created a dilemma
for the Cuban government.

00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:29.999
Before reopening the country to foreign travelers,
one way the government controlled the economy

00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:34.999
was to limit the supply
and value of currency.

00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:39.999
But tourists demanded
expensive goods and services.

00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:44.999
As a result, Cuba adopted a second
much more valuable currency.

00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:49.999
Cuba became a country with two economies.

00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:54.999
This is a Cuban ration grocery store.

00:37:55.000 --> 00:37:59.999
Each Cuban is guaranteed a minimum
amount of food each month.

00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:04.999
The average monthly Cuban
salary is about $15.

00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:09.999
The ration staples for the
month, cost about a $1.50.

00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:14.999
Housing is also extremely cheap.

00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:19.999
Before tourism, consumer goods were scarce.
So there was no need

00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:24.999
for Cubans to have a lot of money.

00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:29.999
This is a restaurant in Havana.
Most of the people here are Cubans.

00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:34.999
[music]

00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:39.999
But they use the new much more valuable
currency called the convertible peso.

00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:44.999
It’s about 25 times

00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:49.999
more valuable than the Cuban peso.

00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:54.999
People who are well off in Cuba

00:38:55.000 --> 00:38:59.999
are they work in tourism or they receive
money sent from Cuban expatriates

00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:04.999
living in the United States.

00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:09.999
In tourist areas, there are
stores selling expensive goods.

00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:14.999
A shirt from this store
costs half a year’s salary

00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:19.999
for a Cuban.

00:39:20.000 --> 00:39:24.999
The best jobs in Cuba are in the tourist
business. Bartenders and taxi drivers

00:39:25.000 --> 00:39:29.999
can make as much in an afternoon, as a
doctor makes in a couple of months.

00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:34.999
[music]

00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:39.999
Daily life for many Cubans

00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:44.999
is a struggle to get their hands on convertible
pesos. People steal from the government.

00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:49.999
Use government resources for personal
gains or operate unauthorized businesses

00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:54.999
that allow them to earn convertible pesos.

00:39:55.000 --> 00:39:59.999
Once I asked a friend of mine in…
in the government, if you could

00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:04.999
somehow eliminate the black
market, would you do so?

00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:09.999
And this person kind of said, \"well, listen, if we
could, we wouldn’t\" because it’s what makes ends meet.

00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:14.999
Many people survive

00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:19.999
and get to the end of the month by doing just those things. The Cubans are
very, very innovative. In fact, you have such a well educated population,

00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:24.999
it means that they are very
creative solutions to…

00:40:25.000 --> 00:40:29.999
to any kind of problem they might face.

00:40:30.000 --> 00:40:34.999
In his life, Fidel Castro
has escaped many crisis.

00:40:35.000 --> 00:40:39.999
But despite his intellect
or aggressive nature,

00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:44.999
he cannot escape death. He and his people

00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:49.999
have had a long hard ride.

00:40:50.000 --> 00:40:54.999
His goal was to establish a
tropical socialist utopia in Cuba.

00:40:55.000 --> 00:40:59.999
He has extended his influence
beyond his own country.

00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:04.999
The Cuban people

00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:09.999
bare the stamp of his philosophy.

00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:14.999
It’s likely no one can replace him.
Eventually, Cuba will have to take

00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:19.999
a less autocratic path.

00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:24.999
Fidel Castro has trained many doctors
and scientists but few politicians.

00:41:25.000 --> 00:41:29.999
[music]

00:41:30.000 --> 00:41:34.999
He’s been able to convince the people to do
without by instituting a culture of service,

00:41:35.000 --> 00:41:39.999
altruism, and gratitude.

00:41:40.000 --> 00:41:44.999
Fidel Castro

00:41:45.000 --> 00:41:49.999
has been able to build his society in part
by eliminating opposition and decent.

00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:54.999
There is no free speech.

00:41:55.000 --> 00:41:59.999
Most decenters are exiled. Some are jailed
or harassed. He has convinced his followers,

00:42:00.000 --> 00:42:04.999
it’s their duty to provide service.

00:42:05.000 --> 00:42:09.999
We are building all together, living
monument, which is a better society,

00:42:10.000 --> 00:42:14.999
without too much money. This is
the motivation that make more

00:42:15.000 --> 00:42:19.999
than 90% of the scientist willing, willing,

00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:24.999
freely willing to remain in Cuba even
with lower salary, than moving outside

00:42:25.000 --> 00:42:29.999
where they will receive better salary, but probably
they will have not the same amount of motivation.

00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:34.999
Gregory Biniowsky first came to Cuba because
he was interested in the revolution.

00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:39.999
15 years later, he’s still
fascinated by the country.

00:42:40.000 --> 00:42:44.999
The process of living here and living like a Cuban and
going through all the hardships, and the long line ups,

00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:49.999
and the shortages, and the bureaucracy and all those
other things that are very difficult in Cuba,

00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:54.999
I… I became less romantic
about the Cuban revolution.

00:42:55.000 --> 00:42:59.999
I realized this was not a worker’s paradise.
So I had a kind of a good idea before I came.

00:43:00.000 --> 00:43:04.999
But it’s still it’s this little stubborn
island that’s challenging the status quo

00:43:05.000 --> 00:43:09.999
and it’s trying to think outside the box
and it doesn’t have all the right answers

00:43:10.000 --> 00:43:14.999
but the fact that it’s this kind of irreverent
rebellious little place that’s challenging the…

00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:19.999
the huge establishment with the global capitalism is an attractive thing
and as I said, I want to live here, I want to be here and see how this,

00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:24.999
this David and Goliath
battle uh… turns out.

00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:33.000
[music]

00:43:45.000 --> 00:43:49.999
To purchase a transcript of tonight’s
episode of the nature of things

00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:55.000
email us at tnot@Toronto.cbc.ca.