Political Perspective

THE Namibian Government should not be playing the role of oppressor, given our past history of fighting to liberate ourselves from white South African domination, and our commitment to democracy.

There are a number of countries that actively contributed to our freedom struggle, and Cuba is one of them. It is therefore unacceptable that we should be treating those who are in some ways the backbone of our health services here the way we do, and/or continue to make ourselves party to their subjugation.I AM referring to Cuban doctors, representatives in our independent nation of a people who helped to free us and who continue to play a vital role in our health services, and yet are not free themselves.Several of these medical practitioners are in hiding here at present because they don’t want to go home to Cuba.Some have applied for amnesty in the US because they have family members there already, but the Namibian Government is blocking attempts to facilitate this.Our Government will probably maintain that the presence here of those Cuban doctors is a result of a bilateral agreement with the Cuban government, and that we are bound to honour such understanding.If so, we need to review such agreements, because we cannot permit our democratic country to keep others in bondage because of their government’s say-so.Whether one likes it or not, these Cuban doctors play a very crucial role in our health services.They make up the majority of foreign medical practitioners here, and they serve in the more remote places where Namibian doctors themselves don’t want to go.They work for pay that can hardly be termed as such for qualified professionals! They earn less than N$2 000 a month and they get only basic accommodation and transportation to and from work.Namibian-trained doctors who work for the State are also able to maintain private practices to supplement their incomes or they can go into private practice fulltime, which is obviously more lucrative.Namibians may serve in the major State hospitals such as Oshakati and Katutura, but can seldom be found outside these areas in more rural places.But as State doctors, even without a private income, they are well paid, and so are most other foreign doctors serving here.The Cubans are the exception and unskilled half-day workers can, and often do, earn more than them! A portion of their already meagre income is paid over to the Cuban Embassy, and their passports are confiscated on arrival here, and only returned to them when they are physically at the airport to depart for home, usually after completion of a two-year contract.These doctors are here as individuals and have left their families home in Cuba.That they are making sacrifices to assist in the vital area of health in Namibia cannot be underestimated.Right now, we probably cannot afford to lose them because their loss would have a huge impact on our ability to provide effective healthcare to our population.Our Namibian doctors, by and large, certainly aren’t doing it! The Cuban government must be commended for providing this kind of assistance to countries such as Namibia.But I cannot agree that we should be party to human rights violations by accepting Cuba’s terms and conditions for providing such assistance, which are undemocratic to say the least.There is no reason why we cannot negotiate better salaries for these Cuban volunteers in the first place, and emphasise that we cannot hold these doctors hostage here against their will if they want or are able to travel to other countries.Swapo and the Cuban government are long-time allies and I know that we would be loath to take issue with them on any subject, especially if it is perceived to constitute interference.But at the same time we have to reconcile our own constitutional commitment to human rights against this background and avoid double standards at all costs.I am also aware that the Cuban government would probably not want to renew such agreements if they were asked to change their terms and conditions, which could mean that Namibia would no longer benefit from this assistance.The best-case scenario of course would be that the Cuban doctors continue to come here, but that they are at least decently paid, allowed to keep their own travel documents like the adults they are, and are entitled to the same basic freedoms that Namibians or any other nationalities enjoy while on our soil.It is therefore unacceptable that we should be treating those who are in some ways the backbone of our health services here the way we do, and/or continue to make ourselves party to their subjugation.I AM referring to Cuban doctors, representatives in our independent nation of a people who helped to free us and who continue to play a vital role in our health services, and yet are not free themselves.Several of these medical practitioners are in hiding here at present because they don’t want to go home to Cuba.Some have applied for amnesty in the US because they have family members there already, but the Namibian Government is blocking attempts to facilitate this.Our Government will probably maintain that the presence here of those Cuban doctors is a result of a bilateral agreement with the Cuban government, and that we are bound to honour such understanding.If so, we need to review such agreements, because we cannot permit our democratic country to keep others in bondage because of their government’s say-so.Whether one likes it or not, these Cuban doctors play a very crucial role in our health services.They make up the majority of foreign medical practitioners here, and they serve in the more remote places where Namibian doctors themselves don’t want to go.They work for pay that can hardly be termed as such for qualified professionals! They earn less than N$2 000 a month and they get only basic accommodation and transportation to and from work.Namibian-trained doctors who work for the State are also able to maintain private practices to supplement their incomes or they can go into private practice fulltime, which is obviously more lucrative.Namibians may serve in the major State hospitals such as Oshakati and Katutura, but can seldom be found outside these areas in more rural places.But as State doctors, even without a private income, they are well paid, and so are most other foreign doctors serving here.The Cubans are the exception and unskilled half-day workers can, and often do, earn more than them! A portion of their already meagre income is paid over to the Cuban Embassy, and their passports are confiscated on arrival here, and only returned to them when they are physically at the airport to depart for home, usually after completion of a two-year contract.These doctors are here as individuals and have left their families home in Cuba.That they are making sacrifices to assist in the vital area of health in Namibia cannot be underestimated.Right now, we probably cannot afford to lose them because their loss would have a huge impact on our ability to provide effective healthcare to our population.Our Namibian doctors, by and large, certainly aren’t doing it! The Cuban government must be commended for providing this kind of assistance to countries such as Namibia.But I cannot agree that we should be party to human rights violations by accepting Cuba’s terms and conditions for providing such assistance, which are undemocratic to say the least.There is no reason why we cannot negotiate better salaries for these Cuban volunteers in the first place, and emphasise that we cannot hold these doctors hostage here against their will if they want or are able to travel to other countries.Swapo and the Cuban government are long-time allies and I know that we would be loath to take issue with them on any subject, especially if it is perceived to constitute interference.But at the same time we have to reconcile our own constitutional commitment to human rights against this background and avoid double standards at all costs.I am also aware that the Cuban government would probably not want to renew such agreements if they were asked to change their terms and conditions, which could
mean that Namibia would no longer benefit from this assistance.The best-case scenario of course would be that the Cuban doctors continue to come here, but that they are at least decently paid, allowed to keep their own travel documents like the adults they are, and are entitled to the same basic freedoms that Namibians or any other nationalities enjoy while on our soil.