Cuba now faces the challenges of making care more comfortable in medical facilities that suffer from limited access to bedding, bandages, and other basic resources, as well as dealing with chronic diseases (such as cancer, diabetes, etc.) In 2025, Cuba will have the highest proportion of its population over the age of 60 in all of Latin America. Since 2005, it has graduated tens of thousands of doctors from low-income communities in the Americas (including the U.S.), Africa, and Asia. In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina devastated the United States Gulf Coast, then-President Fidel Castro commissioned a new volunteer brigade, the “Henry Reeve Brigade,” to offer aid to the U.S. in the form of thousands of medical professionals trained in disaster response. [6], A health system that serves the people of the Third World, Cuban expertise in the field of health also benefits the people of the Third World. Tap here to turn on desktop notifications to get the news sent straight to you. Overall, Cuba’s SNS stresses the holistic nature of health and well-being, treating the patient as a “biopsychosocial” entity, with biological, psychological, community-based, and social forces all intersecting to determine the individual’s health status. The Cuban health system is recognized worldwide for its excellence and its efficiency. The Cuban healthcare system employs a three-tiered structure for organizing primary, secondary, and tertiary care. Since its inception in 1998, ELAM has graduated more than 20,000 doctors from over 123 countries. Primary care, being the first level of conta… 2 Offredy, M. (2008). Currently, nearly 30,000 Cuban medical staff are working in over 60 countries around the world. The health of a nation: Perspectives from cuba’s national health system Radcliffe Publishing. This is also demonstrated by the quality of its health care system and the impact it has on the well-being of children and pregnant women. In 2016, according to figures from the World Bank, the infant mortality rate in Cuba was 4.2 deaths per 1000 live births. In this way, emphasis can be placed on prevention, and the need for costly “cures” is reduced. In praising Cuba, the World Health Organization stresses that it is possible for Third-world countries with limited resources to implement an efficient health care system and provide all segments of the population with social protection worthy of the name. Cuba can be proud of its health care system, a model for many countries [13].". Private clinics were only accessible to those with resources, and public hospitals were underfunded, inaccessible to most rural residents, badly equipped, and crippled by corruption. The Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) oversees epidemiological control (such as regular fumigation to minimize mosquito-borne diseases); regulation of sanitation; promotion of hygienic norms in the population; care for the elderly and disabled; and regulation, evaluation, and control of both imported and domestically produced medicines. The country has well-trained, capable doctors, the sector has become an important export earner and gives Cuba valuable soft power – yet the real picture is less rosy. When patients require a higher degree of care or attention, they move up to the second level of healthcare, which includes provincially managed hospitals and centers of specialization to treat sick patients, handle complications, and encourage rehabilitation. The Cuban healthcare system employs a three-tiered structure for organizing primary, secondary, and tertiary care. Finally, the third level of healthcare includes nationally-administered, specialized hospitals and centers for the treatment and study of particular diseases. Cuban medical services also generate other resources and build politically strategic relationships: for instance, Venezuela has sent Cuba shipments of subsidized oil in exchange for various medical outreach initiatives. This republic operates similarly to a dictatorship in that the Castro family and the Communist Party and the sole controllers of government, and the people have less say in the administration and the operation of the government. Doctor of Iberian and Latin American Studies at the University of Paris-Sorbonne, Salim Lamrani is a lecturer at the University of La Réunion, and a journalist specializing in relations between Cuba and the United States. Other chronic, non-communicable diseases such as chronic lung disease, asthma, diabetes, and liver disease are also common. In 1960, Cuba sent its first international brigade of doctors to assist Chileans in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, and since then, Cuba has sent over 130,000 medical personnel on aid missions to developing nations, primarily in the Global South. On the average, Cubans live 30 years longer than their Haitian neighbors. The infant mortality rate in Cuba is lower than it is in the United States and is among the lowest in the world. In addition to volunteer aid missions, Cuba also generates significant income through the exportation of medical services. Cuba's healthcare system persists, in part, due to its medical education system. Approximately 15 percent of cases reach this level. His new book is The Economic War Against Cuba, New York, Monthly Review Press, 2013; prologue by Wayne S. Smith, foreword by Paul Estrade; translated by Larry R. Oberg. Despite extremely limited resources and the dramatic impact caused by the economic sanctions imposed by the United States for more than half a century, Cuba has managed to guarantee access to care for all segments of the population and obtain results similar to those of the most developed nations. For the same year, this infant mortality rate is far below the WHO regional value given for Latin America and the Caribbean (14.88 deaths per 1000 live births), and compares favorably to that of European Union countries, at 3.45 deaths per 1000 live births. Under the MEF model, every neighborhood is assigned a family doctor. [4] EFE, "Directora general de la OMS está en Cuba para ver advances en investigaciones", July 15, 2014. The Cuban health system is recognized worldwide for its excellence and its efficiency. Today, non-communicable, chronic diseases constitute the main threats to health inside Cuba’s borders. The result is remarkably strong health outcomes with very low spending: Cuba routinely outperforms all other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean in measures such as infant mortality and life expectancy. The health problems of elderly Cubans, therefore, are now beginning to overshadow those of other sectors of the population, and Cuba is facing the challenge of providing care. During her recent visit to Havana in July of 2014, Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), impressed by the country's achievements in this field, praised the Cuban health care system: "Cuba is the only country that has a health care system closely linked to research and development. This is possible if the political will exists to put human beings at the center of the project. In 2004, Cuba launched Operation Miracle, in partnership with Venezuela, to dispatch Cuban doctors throughout Havana, Caracas, and the larger region of Latin America, in order to provide free ophthalmological surgeries to thousands in poor, underserved populations. [5] EFE, "Cuba cierra 2013 con la tasa de infantil mortalidad más baja de su historia", January 2, 2014. ©2020 Verizon Media. Although patients are free to go directly to these institutions, the system works most smoothly when family doctors refer them and work in partnership with specialists. [3] Prensa Latina, "Directora de OMS reconoció labor de Cuba en materia de salud", op. Cuba’s domestic production of medicines reduces the cost of importing the medicines from other countries, and additionally, exporting medicines supplied Cuba with some $686 million USD in income in 2013. [10], Cuban medical solidarity also extends to Africa. Since 2005, it has sent over 7,000 brigadiers to twenty-one countries, serving over 3.5 million people in response to various disasters such as hurricanes, epidemics and earthquakes. Cuba's health care system is based on preventive medicine and the results achieved are outstanding. Like its infant mortality rate, Cuba’s life expectancy falls within the same range as that of many Western, developed countries: the regional average for European Union countries in 2016 was 80.62 years, and for the U.S., 78.69 years. In a decade, nearly 3.5 million people have had their vision restored through this example of Cuban internationalism. Like many countries with improved healthcare and limited birth rates, Cuba is also facing the issue of an aging population. President Bush did not accept the offer, but the brigade remained active. To overcome limited access to pharmaceuticals, technology, and other material resources, the country has leveraged its strength in education and high number of trained doctors to focus on making primary care accessible and community-based. According to the UN's World Health Organization, Cuba's health care system is an example for all countries of the world. They remain in place after the crises. Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost's next chapter. This humanitarian campaign, implemented at the continental level under the aegis of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), operates without charge on the Latin American poor who suffer from cataracts and other eye diseases [8]. It was also the first country in Latin America, in 2015, to gain WHO certification for eradicating mother-to-child transmissions of HIV and syphilis. It reflects, instead, a lack of political will on the part of leaders to protect their most vulnerable populations. This level is the most curatively oriented of the three, and deals with patients who have complications from serious illnesses. Today is National Voter Registration Day! Each municipality has 6-7 polyclinics serving 25,000-35,000 people, There are 256 hospitals nationally and 13 medical research centers that provide care, Health care should be an equal and free right for all, Health care should be managed and provided by the state, The public is responsible for participating in the development and functioning of the health system, Health care should be integrated with the economic and social development, The health system should cooperate in global health activities. [7]. 1 Lambie, G. (2011). Today, all healthcare is regulated and financed by the government, and is provided to Cubans free of cost. Initially created for Venezuela, this social program was extended to the entire continent with the objective of operating on a total of six million people. As seen in the figures, Cuba stacks up favorably against other countries in commonly used indicators of national health and development. Since the Revolution’s inception and throughout its development, the expansion and improvement of healthcare have remained among the government’s highest priorities and largest budgetary allowances. The curious case of cuba. Furthermore, with 7.52 doctors per Cuban citizen (according to the most recent 2014 statistics) it is the world leader in this measure. In Cuba, the medical university is not a separate entity from health services, but it exists within the system. Largely because the trade blockade has limited Cuba’s access to many imported medicines, Cuba has developed an innovative domestic biopharmaceutical and biotechnological sector. All rights reserved. For the same year, the World Bank reports that life expectancy rate in Cuba averaged 80 years, which compares well to the 75.4 years expected on average for Latin America and the Caribbean in that period. [1] Prensa Latina, "Directora de OMS reconoció labor de Cuba en materia de salud", July 16, 2014. 3 Keck, C. W. (2012). [8] Cubadebate "La Misión Milagro cumple hoy diez años: ha devuelto la vista a 3.4 millones personas", July 8, 2014. [2]. Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/SalimLamraniOfficiel. Despite these challenges, Cuba continues to defy the correlation seen in other countries between high levels of economic resources and strong indicators of public health.

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