Comments on: That Cuban health system

By: tinter

tinter — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:44:00 +0000

WHO statisitics go further than that. Number of deaths per live births below 5 for example is lower than America. Probability of dying between 15-60 is lower for men and very close for women. This is a real achivement for a third world country under embargo. WHO statistics are also unlikely to be fiddled.
We can say that the regime is unplesant and we do not support it while acknowleging its achivements in healthcare, and possibly even looking for some good practice to export- at least for other third world countries there surely must be something to learn.

Same as with say China, where we can say well done to their economic development while still opposing the regime.

By: tristan

tristan — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:23:47 +0000

You make a fair point about the statistics- although given the accounts from Cubans of the dire state of the service I wonder how accurate they are. There’s also a very very high abortion rate which could easily raise life expectancy (the US has a low expectancy largely because there are less abortions and more attempts to save ill and premature children for example).

I agree that the embargo has done nothing good, apart from for Castro and the ruling class…

It hurts the poor and the ordinary person. The elite still get things they want and need, the poor stay poor (and get poorer) and remain isolated and difficult to inform about the world.

By: Tinter

Tinter — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:17:47 +0000

The embargo has done nothing good for anyone. The same as with unplesant states such as China: trading with them helps political reform, embargoing the opposite. There are only a small range of cases where embargoes are effective in advancing democratic causes.

By: Alasdair

Alasdair — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:59:11 +0000

Well now Cuba has a new President who has made some simple but important reforms, we need to start talking to Cuba. It is in a difficult economic condition and we can make agreements with them, we can say we will open up trade if they release political prisoner. I hope we’ll do that rather than just isolating it and hurting the people further.

By: tinter

tinter — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:19:14 +0000

Life expectancy statistics and other health related statistics show that it does have a pretty good health care system, certainly superior to other countries at a similar level of economic development.
I don’t have much good to say about Cuba beyond that, but it does appear to be the case.

By: Aaron Heath

Aaron Heath — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:04:01 +0000

I think that - looking at the health tourists that visit Cuba - that it does have a good health service.

That great swathes of the islanders are in poverty suggest that it isn’t a socialist paradise, however.