Page 13 - NYSAGD GP Fall 2018

An Experience of a Lifetime - Traveling to Havana, Cuba

By Binod K. Verma, DDS, MAGD, FICOI

Cuba has been a land of mystery for many paved with wooden blocks near a mansion jobs requiring higher learning in Cuba
Americans because of the travel ban im- that once served as the residence of a gov- because there isn’t much value for educa-
posed by the US government for over 50 ernor during pre-revolutionary times. The tion. The average salary remains the same
years. It has only been since President idea behind this wooden street was because regardless of the amount of education an
Obama removed many of these restrictions the governor did not want to have his fam- individual receives. People who go for
and allowed Americans to travel to Cuba ily’s sleep disturbed during the night while higher education or want to study med-
that individuals have been able to expe- the soldiers were patrolling and guarding icine have no expectation of higher pay.
rience this country for themselves. There the residence. We were also taken to a wall Incidentally, we were told that there is no
are still many restrictions and only twelve near a palace. There is a door in the wall medical school as such, but that there are
authorized categories under the Office of where people used to leave children. If hospitals where medical education is given
Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) that allow the child was female, she was given to the for each specialty.
Americans to travel to Cuba, but some of brothel to be raised. But if the child was
these categories are intended to encourage male, he was raised to grow up to manhood. Our guide showed us a house which be-
exchange activities. longed to a dentist during our tour. Howev-
Our trip was more than just sightseeing. er, after looking at the house, we all had the
The first European to reach Cuba was There was an educational component same question: How can one can buy such
Christopher Columbus in 1492. It remained where we had two speakers who gave us a beautiful and large house on a monthly
under Spanish rule most of the time until valuable information. Our first speaker salary of $20? The guide told us that the
1762. The country has remained Span- was Dr. Dattatreyudu Nori. He is a pro- dentist practices in Chile and that is how
ish-speaking even with the occasional oc- fessor and the Executive Vice Chairman he can afford the house and maintain it so
cupation by English-speaking countries, in- of the Radiation Oncology Department at well. We were also told that anyone who
cluding the US. During 1933 to 1944 and the New York Presbyterian Hospital /Weil has a house other than the one provided
from 1952 to 1959, Cuba was governed by Cornell Medical College in New York City. by the government usually has someone in
the US backed dictator, Fulgencio Batista. He spoke to us about the latest advance- the family working outside the country and
Batista was then overthrown by Cuban rev- ment in immunotherapy for treating third bringing money home. In Cuba, the people
olutionary leader, Fidel Castro, who ruled and fourth stage malignancy of the liver, who make more money are in the travel
for many years. But after becoming ill in lungs, stomach and other parts of body. He business because tourism is now a big in-
his later years, he gradually gave power to explained that there are two types of im- dustry in Cuba. Our guide had a PhD but
his brother, General Raul Castro Ruz, who munotherapy capsules: One acts upon the she does guided tours in Havana so that she
has ruled since Fidel Castro’s death in No- organ involved when there is no metastasis can supplement her income.
vember of 2016. and the other one acts in the presence of
metastasis. He explained that the therapy is Dr. Binod K. Verma is the
This past April, I wanted to plan a trip to still experimental and costs approximately PIO and a past president
Cuba but discovered the travel require- $200 per capsule. of the NYSAGD. He is also
ments very cumbersome. However, I vice president of the Nas-
found an opportunity with a group called Our second speaker was an endocrinolo- sau County Dental Soci-
AAPI QLI (American Association of Phy- gist, Dr. T.K.S. Rao, who is a past presi- ety. He practices general
sicians of Indian Origin of Queens and dent of AAPIQLI. He spoke to us about dentistry in Elmhurst, NY.
Long Island) who were planning an educa- the inflammatory process in patients with
tional trip to Cuba. I did not want to miss diabetes. He explained that this is a disease
this opportunity and registered to travel that patients can control with proper regi-
with them. men and emphasized on the value of diet,
exercise, and the use of proper medication
On our first day in Havana, my wife and to combat this disease.
I, along with our AAPI friends, took many
guided tours around Cuba. The tour guide We also had the opportunity to meet with
also took us to Hemingway’s Estate and local people who told us that the average
Museum, which was a great way to get a salary allowed by the government is $20
sense of what life was like for foreigners per month, but that many basic things for
living in Cuba prior to the revolution. living are free. We were also told that the
maximum salary for most occupations is
The Hemingway Estate is one of the big- $40 per month. When asked about the sal-
gest tourist attractions in Cuba. We had the ary for doctors specifically, we found that
opportunity to see the entire estate and the it was not much different than other pro-
room where he spent most of his time writ- fessions. This is probably the main reason
ing. Our tour also included a visit to a street why the majority of people do not pursue

www.nysagd.org l Fall 2018 l GP 13