Healthcare in Cuba

Cuban Healthcare

Healthcare in Cuba:

An examination of Cuban social history and healthcare

Cuba is one of the most unique nations in the world. Though a political rival of the United States since Communism took hold of the country in the mid-20th century, Cuba has nonetheless progressed in its own way. For all the negatives, the country has some positives. One of these is the country's beautiful tourist spot, two hours away from Havana, which includes wonderful beaches and modern hotel amenities.

Another positive is the country's healthcare system, and this issue will be examined in the paper, both as it functions in the country, and as it is different from healthcare in the United States. Prior to analyzing this specific aspect of Cuba, one must first understand a little bit of history. Therefore, the paper will be divided into two sections: the first will include background on the country, and the second will examine Cuba's healthcare system.

Background and History

This section, as aforementioned, will include a brief history of the country, which will focus on the political and social arena. To start this off, one must mention traveling to Cuba. This is a unique experience in itself, and the best way to begin to talk about the social arena in the country. Cuba lies 90 miles off the coast of Florida, and has been called by numerous travelers a historical survivor, in a good way. When arriving in Cuba, one will notice there are absolutely no capitalistic tendencies anywhere at all. That means, there are no advertisements and no commercials, so one is free to enjoy the country's uniqueness and as one of the most interesting vacation in the Western hemisphere.

Cuba's capital, Havana, is one of the attractions of the country and presents a visitor with both architectural wonders and poverty beyond belief.

However, Cuba does present the visitor with amazing amenities at the Parque Central as well, and great food. Food, family, and history are, in fact, at the base of Cuban society. Religion is also present, though not in as great a way as in other Latin American countries.

Cuba also has a rich dance culture, as well as state sponsored education and healthcare, the latter of which will be discussed below. However, despite these seemingly positive attributes, and all of Cuba's beauty, the country does remain a totalitarian, police-like state, and relies on repressive methods to maintain control and quiet down dissenters. Due to this, there is constant surveillance in society, and a lack of communication and innovation.

Since the late 1980's, the humanitarian situation in Cuba has not fared well. In fact, there has been, it seems, a constant economic crisis that has affected all spheres of life. The political situation, as aforementioned is one of complete control by the government. The economic crisis, however, has become so severe due to the political situation, as exports declined sharply. The birth rate has also declined in the country, and the mortality rate increased.

Healthcare: Good and Bad

Healthcare in Cuba can contribute to some of the woes presented above. There are various beliefs about health care in Cuba, both good and bad. This section will thus present both sides, in a fair and balanced way, and determine which is the reality in Cuba. Most foremost international journals, and some U.S. individuals (i.e. Michael Moore) actually applaud Cuban health care.

However, there are some who do not believe in the healthcare system, especially in psychiatric healthcare.

Most Americans know about the healthcare system in Cuba from the documentary Sicko, by Michael Moore. According to one website, there is a scene in the film where Moore walks into a pharmacy, asks for asthma medicine, and it given plenty. Though this seems like heaven for U.S. citizens who pay above and beyond for medicine, the reality is not so straightforward. According to the report,

"According to Moore, his guests received the "the same care" that any regular

Cuban would receive, "no more, no less." But the scene at the Cuban pharmacy,

[…] was a fallacy conceived, scripted, staged and rehearsed by the Cuban regime

with Moore's acting the part of the useful idiot."

The article goes on to say that a correspondent for a Pennsylvanian newspaper who visited the country in 2007 stated,

"I asked the guide what Cubans did if they had a cold. The guide said that a Cuban would go to the doctor -- a visit free of charge -- who would write a prescription for aspirin. However, there would be no way to fill the prescription. We visited a pharmacy later in the trip. Behind the counter five well-dressed Cuban women waited to serve, but the shelves were empty. The only items in sight were the monthly ration of sanitary napkins, 10 permitted per Cuban woman per month."

This is the paradox of Cuban healthcare -- it is readily available, but if somebody really does need medicine, such as in the case above, to get better, this may not be readily available.

Some articles, however, do not agree with the one written above. For example, the Guardian UK states that there are various programs that do help some parts of the population. For example, senior citizens benefit from exercise classes or other health related classes. The UK newspaper gives a whole slideshow, where each slide speaks about a different means in which Cubans benefit from the system. The article also includes Cuban rations, which are also very interesting:

"A Cuban adult's monthly food ration: 3.8kg of rice, 283g of dried beans, 2.3kg of sugar, 113g ounces of coffee, about two cups of cooking oil, 10 eggs, a bag of salt, a bar of soap, a tube of toothpaste, 226g of dried pasta, 226g of sweetened cocoa, 1.8kg of potatoes, 30 bread rolls and a bottle of dishwashing liquid. [They also receive] crackers, 283g of fish, 226g of chicken and a little less than 500g inexpensive meat products."

From this quote, one may already state that this is unfair, that the people in Cuba are truly not benefitting from the system, and may start to question whether the "good sides" of the system are put forward for foreigners. However, other proponents beg to differ. Another article states that the system is actually world class, and is proven with a great life expectancy for Cubans, which extends to 77.5 years (the U.S. is at 78.1 years).