HEALTH CARE IN CUBA Kassandra Flores Cubas Philosophy

HEALTH CARE IN CUBA Kassandra Flores

Cuba’s Philosophy of Health Care ◦ Health care is a HUMAN RIGHT not a means for making a profit ◦ Health care is a responsibility of the state ◦ The people join in the effort to create and maintain a functioning system ◦ Preventative as well as curative services are available

Cuban Health Pyramid Medical Institutes Hospitals Polyclinics Work Teams Family doctors/ nurses Communities/ Families(300400)

Preventative Care Continuous Assessment and Risk Evaluation (CARE) Goal ◦ Gain information about medical history and risk factors How to o Family by family o Intervention plans o Yearly check ups o 3 mo. check ups for chronic illnesses o Publicity campaigns o Health education o Physical/psychological/social care

U. S. Embargo ◦ a complete comprehensive economic embargo which restricts trade between the U. S. and Cuba (food and medications included) ◦ U. S. controls who sell medical resources to Cuba (foreign subsidiaries) The Democracy Act of 1992 ---medicines and laboratory materials produced by the United States or covered by United States patents ◦ medications and medical equipment became very scarce

World Health Organization Stats Esposito, C. L. , Gilbert, J. , Ciampa, A. , & Markman, J. (2017). Against All Odds: Cuba Achieves Healthcare for All--An Analysis of Cuban Healthcare. Journal Of The New. York State Nurses Association, 45(1), 29 -38.

Criticisms ◦ Low pay/ long waits Low pay of doctors ($30 -$50/ month) Physicians per 1, 000 people- Cuba: 7. 519 U. S. : 2. 554 o Poor facilities/ lack of necessary equipment and medications Patients must provide sheets, pillows, towels, etc. . Sanitation issues o Concerns of the freedom of choice Patient cannot choose doctors/facility/privacy o Tourism hospitals $40 million a year http: //opencuba. blogspot. com/2012/03/cimeq-and-myths-of-cubas-healthcare. html

“Freedom” ◦ Medical debt is the number 1 reason for bankruptcy in the U. S. ◦ In 2015, 1/10 adults admit to avoiding health care because of costs ◦ Premiums 37% vs 27% two years ago ◦ 11. 3% of Americans don’t have health insurance

Work Cited Cuba Leads the World in Lowest Patient per Doctor Ratio; How do they do it? (2012, August 07). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from http: //www. socialmedicine. org/2012/07/30/about/cubaleads-the-world-in-lowest-patient-per-doctor-ratio-how-do-they-do-it/ Esposito, C. L. , Gilbert, J. , Ciampa, A. , & Markman, J. (2017). Against All Odds: Cuba Achieves Healthcare for All--An Analysis of Cuban Healthcare. Journal Of The New. York State Nurses Association, 45(1), 29 -38. Healthcare in Cuba. (2017, December 07). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Cuba Keck, C. W. , & Reed, G. A. (2012, August). The Curious Case of Cuba. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https: //www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC 3464859/ Schwab, P. (1997). Cuban health care and the U. S. embargo. Monthly Review: An Independent Socialist Magazine, 49(6), 15. Thomas, L. (2017, April 11). The number of Americans without health insurance rose in first quarter 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https: //www. cnbc. com/2017/04/11/thenumber-ofamericans-without-health-insurance-rose-in-first-quarter-2017. html Tutton, M. (n. d. ). Report: U. S. sanctions put Cubans' health at risk. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from http: //edition. cnn. com/2009/HEALTH/09/01/amnesty. cuba. health/ US Medical Debt: 10 Facts That Will Shock You. (2017, November 20). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from http: //www. natlbankruptcy. com/us-medical-debt-statistics/ World Health Organization. Cuba. (n. d. ). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from http: //www. who. int/countries/cub/en/