CUBAS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Cuba's health care system has been widely discussed lately. It is very apparent that the Cuban state apparatus has gone to much time and trouble to engineer and construct conditions that support health care for its population that represents a fair and conscientious use of available resources.

No one can pretend that Cuba's health care system can be perfect, or that all is rosy in every hospital bed in Havana.

However, the Cuban people are currently enjoying the benefits of many decades of doctor cultivation and the affiliated medical education mechanisms that have produced them.

Cubans should be applauded for having something of value to sell or trade, IE parts of their health care system. Cuba and Venezuela are currently bartering doctors for oil and both parties are better off for this arrangement.

I find it troubling and embarrassing that a representative of the United States would have the unmitigated gall to attempt to invalidate the legitimacy of such a barter.

The United States would cry if weapons were being sold or traded between our adversaries, our officials would find some method to impeach a trade in air or sand also. But when such benign resources such as raw oil and medical services are being traded, shouldn't this be encouraged, or at least not insulted?

The Cuban people would do well to not only embrace current sanctions against their small country, but themselves propose further sanctions at the United Nations. It appears that parts of Cuba have flourished without U.S. approval and intervention. Perhaps given more time, and less dependency on U.S. approval than is needed today, they Cubans will reach future goals that seem impossible today.

The United States has many escaped and expatriated Cubans living in Florida , and there is a strong anti -Castro political lobby active in Washington.

The Cubans living in Cuba don't have the benefit of the same lobbying apparatus, so their opinions and voices are unheard to the U.S. public and our leaders.

Education costs money, the Cubans have been investing in an educated public for many years and to deny them the benefits of their labors is ludicrous.

Mikes Vacation applauds the efforts that have produced such positive results for the Cuban people in spite of the economic rival ism they have endured from the United States.

If I wanted to have my appendix taken out and I had the choice of a major U.S. hospital, and a Havana hospital I would choose America.

If I wanted to have any complex and life threatening ailment treated, I would prefer to be in America instead of Havana.

However, if I was a random citizen in Mexico, the Caribbean, central or south America with all the resources a randomly selected citizen would have, and I had to choose between being treated in Havana, or through whatever health system is available to my same random self, I would ABSOLUTELY choose Havana, and be grateful and happy for the ability to do so.

Here is an interesting video hosted from youtube.com that discusses and describes some positive aspects of the Cuban health system. This video does not describe the negative aspects that an intelligent person can guess are there. However, you can deduce from this video that there have been positive and worthy achievements made in Cuba in the area of health care.

This video has poor sound editing, however the sound is crisp and understandable. The graphics are good.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=8ms8emcoWZM

Michael Miller
Indianapolis,
2007