The Cuban Health Care System

Abstract

As documentary-maker Michael Moore explains, “Cuba is a very poor country, our embargo has made it very difficult for them, and yet in spite of that they are able to put together a health care system that guarantees they have a better life span than we do, a better infant mortality rate and more doctors per capita.”1 A very different picture is offered by Jorge Salazar-Carrillo, a professor of economics at Florida International University: “After many years of disrepair, the Cuban health system is now in crisis.”2 Similarly, Dr. Julio César Alfonso describes the Cuban medical system as “a disaster”—where doctors reuse needles to draw blood from patients, have a sharpening stone for the needles and use X-ray machines that haven’t been replaced since 1959.3 Empirical evidence gathered by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reveals a radically different picture. For instance, statistics show that the HIV prevalence for adults in Cuba is one-tenth the corresponding figure for the United States, a life expectancy that is comparable to U.S. rates, and better infant mortality rates, illustrating successful Cuban approaches to public health in at least some areas.KeywordsPreventive MedicineFamily DoctorMedical TourismHard CurrencyMaternity HomeThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.