The Importance Of Healthcare In Cuba
Healthcare in the Republic of Cuba
Carmen Sciandra
University of Scranton
HAD 506
May 13, 2013
In Cuba, patients’ medical records are still kept in a cardboard folder, they are simple and hand written. Internet access is virtually non-existent yet despite the limited technology, the Cuban system is surprisingly information-rich and focused on population health. Everything is free, and not after prior approval or some copay. Healthcare is tightly organized, and the first priority is prevention. Although Cuba has limited economic resources, its health care system has solved some problems that ours has not yet managed to address.
The Cuban system is a highly structured, prevention-oriented system which …show more content…
The Kaiser Family Foundation described Cuba as a shining example of the power of public health to transform the health of an entire country by a commitment to prevention and careful management of its medical resources. In 2001, a group of members of the United Kingdom House of Commons travelled to Cuba. The trip aligned its findings with other reports. The key finding of the UK House of Commons trip: 1) In Cuba there is one doctor per 175 people, in the UK the figure is one per 600 people, 2) In Cuba, there is a commitment to triple diagnosis (physical/psychological/social) at all levels of care, 3) the patient is extensively involved in decision making at all levels of care, 4) Integration exists among the hospital/community/primary care via polyclinics, and 5) teamwork is evident both in the community and the hospital …show more content…
thesis on the Cuban health system. Hirschfeld states, “There is no right to privacy in the physician-patient relationship in Cuba, no patients’ right of informed consent, no right to refuse treatment, and no right to protest or sue for malpractice”. Hirschfeld views medical care in Cuba as dehumanizing (Hirschfeld, 2009). Hirschfeld uses infant mortality rates as an example. Hirschfeld describes a case where a doctor said if the ultrasound examination revealed “some fetal abnormalities,” the woman “should have an abortion,” to avoid an increase in infant mortality rate. She concludes, “Cuban citizens are powerless to protest, and foreign researchers unable to empirically investigate” (Hirschfeld, 2009).
The United Kingdom House of Commons trip also revealed problems that exist within the Cuban health system: 1) the pay of doctors is low, 2) the facilities are in poor condition and outdated, 3) the Cuban system has frequent absence of essential drugs, and 4) a concern regarding freedom of choice for both the patient and
Carmen Sciandra
University of Scranton
HAD 506
May 13, 2013
In Cuba, patients’ medical records are still kept in a cardboard folder, they are simple and hand written. Internet access is virtually non-existent yet despite the limited technology, the Cuban system is surprisingly information-rich and focused on population health. Everything is free, and not after prior approval or some copay. Healthcare is tightly organized, and the first priority is prevention. Although Cuba has limited economic resources, its health care system has solved some problems that ours has not yet managed to address.
The Cuban system is a highly structured, prevention-oriented system which …show more content…
The Kaiser Family Foundation described Cuba as a shining example of the power of public health to transform the health of an entire country by a commitment to prevention and careful management of its medical resources. In 2001, a group of members of the United Kingdom House of Commons travelled to Cuba. The trip aligned its findings with other reports. The key finding of the UK House of Commons trip: 1) In Cuba there is one doctor per 175 people, in the UK the figure is one per 600 people, 2) In Cuba, there is a commitment to triple diagnosis (physical/psychological/social) at all levels of care, 3) the patient is extensively involved in decision making at all levels of care, 4) Integration exists among the hospital/community/primary care via polyclinics, and 5) teamwork is evident both in the community and the hospital …show more content…
thesis on the Cuban health system. Hirschfeld states, “There is no right to privacy in the physician-patient relationship in Cuba, no patients’ right of informed consent, no right to refuse treatment, and no right to protest or sue for malpractice”. Hirschfeld views medical care in Cuba as dehumanizing (Hirschfeld, 2009). Hirschfeld uses infant mortality rates as an example. Hirschfeld describes a case where a doctor said if the ultrasound examination revealed “some fetal abnormalities,” the woman “should have an abortion,” to avoid an increase in infant mortality rate. She concludes, “Cuban citizens are powerless to protest, and foreign researchers unable to empirically investigate” (Hirschfeld, 2009).
The United Kingdom House of Commons trip also revealed problems that exist within the Cuban health system: 1) the pay of doctors is low, 2) the facilities are in poor condition and outdated, 3) the Cuban system has frequent absence of essential drugs, and 4) a concern regarding freedom of choice for both the patient and