The Battle of the “Chinese” Doctor

The Battle of the "Chinese" Doctor / Reinaldo Escobar
Posted on March 24, 2014

In September of 2006 Dr. Jeovany Jiménez, exercising his revolutionary
optimism, wrote a letter to the minister of Public Health to protest a
ridiculous salary increase that didn't correspond to the needs nor the
expectations of the sector. The response was to disbar him from
practicing medicine. Jeovany created a blog, and went to the extreme of
a hunger strike. Incredibly, his right to practice medicine was returned
to him.

I'm not sure if I should congratulate Jeovany, who is lovingly called
"the Chinaman" by his friends. It's true that in the entire labor
history of Cuba, never before has there been such a high salary increase
as will be received by public health workers as of this May. It's clear
that on this occasion it's not about a ridiculous salary increase,
because the increases in many cases double the original salary, but it's
also true that in the best of cases the increase received will be enough
to buy six pounds of pork and a case of beer. Whether this is a luxury
remains to be determined, starting from the esteem those professionals
are held in, and what we think they truly deserve.

Over five years, Jeovany Jiménez sent a total of 20 letters, never
responded to, to the Minister of Public Health and managed to collect
300 signatures in support of his request. Now they will tell him "that
wasn't the time" and that now all that remains is to show appreciation.

24 March 2014

Source: The Battle of the "Chinese" Doctor / Reinaldo Escobar |
Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/the-battle-of-the-chinese-doctor-reinaldo-escobar/