ARSENIO RODRÍGUEZ

Graduated in 1976 as a Doctor, Irish born David P. Hickey has traveled many roads as a scientist, surgeon and as an instructor.  He has been a professor in foreign universities, including a university in Cuba.  He is also the director of the institute of Kidney and Pancreas Transplants in Beaumont Hospital, located in Dublin. 

As I gave him the Medal of Friendship, I felt it would be interesting to interview him and to ask him what he felt about the Cuban Health system and of Cuban doctors.  I started to ask of him, "Who is David P. Hickey?" 

"I am a doctor who through experiences in Cuba and France, has seen the human side of Medicine been carried out.  As a Socialist, something that I inherited from my family, the way Medicine is being carried out in these two countries has impacted me greatly."

I interrupted him to ask if when he referred to himself as a Socialist he meant a Social Democrat.

"I really don't understand the term Social Democrat, as to me it represents ideas which are completely contradictory."

"While the British people strongly manifested itself against the war in Iraq Blair was lying.  This is well known and there now exists a movement to bring him to justice."

I turned once again to the health care profession and asked him how he saw health care in Cuba.

"As I walk the streets of Havana and see the loveliest and healthiest children in the world go to their schools I realize that this is really health care."

"I consider the Cuban health system as being the best in the world.  I contrast it with my city Dublin...Ireland which is today one of the richest nations of the EU but nevertheless has 25% of the children living below the poverty level...30% have not been inoculated against childhood diseases...where there are thousands of children living on the streets."

"That represents a colossal health care failure.  I have seen advertisements that says that there 200 million children living on the streets around the world and that none of them are Cuban.  That's really inspirational.  I know this to be the truth, and that's what public health care and social medicine is all about."

When you look at Cuba's infant mortality rate, mortality rate of children younger than five, delivery death rate, it is comparable to any of the so called developed nations.  This is true not only in health care but in education as well.  This is an extraordinary feat for this small island."    

I ask him to comment on the celebration of the Declaration of Human Rights on December 10 and about the US campaign against Cuba on this front.

"As article 25 of the Declaration seeks to guarantee health and education, it can be said that the worst violator of this declaration is the United States. In the US alone there are 50 million people who have no access to health care."  

"40% of the children in New York live in poverty.  The US has the largest prison population in the world.  That the US speak about human rights in Cuba has very little credibility.  It is true that the biggest violations of human rights on this planet takes place in Cuba; they take place in the illegally occupied US base in Guantanamo, where all norms of international laws are being violated; where the savagery of the current US government is being carried out."

With regards to the Friendship Medal he received, he considers it as one of the major achievements he has attained in his life.  For him it is an honor to be accepted as a friend of the people of Cuba.  

I ended the interview asking him what he thought of the solidarity of our doctors with others around the world.

"To me the best present a country can offer is to bring medical aid to other countries.  What developed nations do is to steal doctors from other countries.  A think Cuba is the only under developed nation that sends doctors to aid other nations.  Ireland and Europe only do things that will benefit them economically."

"The Latin American School of Medicine in Havana is a project that merits the Nobel Prize in Medicine, in Science and of Peace; whatever it may be it should receive a Nobel Prize.  I am sure that if this school would have existed in another country it would have already received the prize. 

Source: Granma International

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