29 March 2020, NIICE Commentary 3849
Dr. Bawa Singh
COVID-19 has been spreading throughout the world like a wildfire. As per World Health Organization, by 29 March, the global count of the infected case by coronavirus had reached 634835, with 29957 deaths covering about 203 countries/ territories. Although, COVID-19 might not be manmade as stated by some conspiracy theorists, but it is certain that globalization has accelerated it. Moreover, the irony is that the globalized world has been medically ill-prepared due to the woeful shortage of medical kits/ infrastructures/ medicines to fight it. Surprisingly, the rich and powerful countries have not come forward to help the coronavirus affected countries.
It is popularly believed that globalization has a very positive impacts on poverty reduction. The economic perspective of globalization argues in favour of the positive relationships between increasing international trade and investment flows leading to economic growth, higher living standards, exchange and promotion of innovation and technological and management skills. Several scholars claim that capitalism and globalization have been playing a monumental role in eradicating the extreme poverty. However, the reality is somewhat a mixed one.
Jan Cienski argued that during 1950s, about 55 percent of the world’s population were living on less than USD 1 per day, reduced to 24 percent by 1992 due to the globalization. Moreover, the number of poor remained static. During the 1990s, about 120 million people have been brought out of the vicious cycle of extreme poverty, given the introduction of a wide range of domestic economic structural reforms, the investment-friendly climate, strengthened by the social service provisions, complemented by the access to foreign markets, technology, and aid.
The other side of the coin is very horrendous. As per the World Bank (WB), nearly half of the world’s population is managing their lives with less than USD 5.50 per day. Until 2015, in the lower-middle-income countries, about 26.2 percent people were managing their lives with less than USD 3.20 per day. In this backdrop, the WB has remained committed to achieve the goal of eradicating the extreme poverty by 2030. Moreover, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), have proved that poverty, inequality, and lack of basic infrastructures have been haunting the major chunk of the population particularly from the lower-middle-income countries.
Lessons from Cuba
With the outbreak of COVID-19, the capitalist countries have got the opportunity to extend help and give stimulus to the neo-liberalized policies in the capitalistic world. Thus, all the countries have been looking towards the US for humanitarian help. However, on the contrary, the medical and humanitarian help is coming from the communistic/ socialist countries like Cuba, China, Russia and others. From the panic out of pandemic, it is very clear that the neoliberal policies have benefitted only a paltry part of the world population, who can enjoy luxurious life even during the emergency. The huge mass of people has to struggle for their basic needs and survival. Cuba has always been rebuked and chided by the capitalist countries, risen to the opportunity by doing commendable service to the cause of humanity by engaging its doctors in various infected countries.
Cuba has a socialized medical system that guarantees health care to all the citizens. During the pre-Castro period, the Cuban health system was limited to cities and more than half of physicians and hospitals were located in Havana. There was only one doctor per 2,000 citizens. In the post-1975, Cuba did remarkable transformation though ‘Single National Public Health System’, wherein all the healthcare services were made available free of cost to all its citizens. The network of health care infrastructures spread in the rural areas through the ‘Family Doctor Program’ and established 160 polyclinics and 50 rural hospitals. The community doctors used to go door to door to ensure the children bathed, the bathroom and sanitary services were in hygienic condition, take health surveys to assess the health needs, provides medical care pre and post-natal, provision of free of charges medical facilities like nutritious meals, education, ultrasounds and dental care and others.
Currently, it is said that Cuba has the highest number of doctors i.e., one doctor per 155 persons. As per the WB website, Cuba has 8.2 doctors per 1000, much higher than many rich and powerful countries. The doctors per 1000 ratio of the US is 2.6, South Korea is 2.4, India is 0.8, China is 1.8, Italy is 4.1 and the World is 1.5. Through the nationalized health care services, Cuba has not only kept thousands of civilian hospitals ready to deal with the pandemic, but several military hospitals have been kept open for civilian people as well.
Internationally, Cuba has also contributed to human welfare by providing medical facilities. It provided medical care services to Haiti when it was devastated by an earthquake in 2010 and to Africa when it was affected by Ebola in 2014. In Europe, Italy is worse hit by COVID-19 with 92,474 confirmed cases and 10,023 deaths. In this tragic situation, showing humanitarian solidarity, Cuba sent a medical brigade of more than 50 doctors, nurses and paramedics along with medicines and medical equipment. Equal number of medical brigades was sent to Spain to fight against the pandemic. Cuban medicines and doctors are working in many Coronavirus affected countries including China, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Suriname and Grenada.
Notwithstanding the tall claims of the globalization by Bretton Woods Institutions concerning the higher standards of living, stunning reduction in abject poverty, commendable improvement in health facilities, the globalized world has been exposed by the pandemic of COVID-19. Lockdowns, quarantines, travel bans, sealing of border and breakup of supply chains, lack/non-availability of basic medical materials have exposed the globalized international system. Financial packages are very important during the time of crisis but they have failed miserably as large mass of people are in extreme poverty. Thus, the world is bound to question the existing neoliberal policies.
