The truth about cubas health care system acton institute. Although mutual awareness has been limited by longterm political hostilities between the united states and cuban governments, the history and details of the cuban health system indicate that their health system merits attention as an example of a national integrated. Health system differences between cuba and the united states likely account for much of cubas ability to do more with less. As someone who trained as a doctor in cuba, id like to give.
Health system differences between cuba and the united states likely account for much of cuba s ability to do more with less. The cuban system of community medicine is based on large numbers of doctors and other health professionals. Dr rebeca mendoza, the director of a polyclinic in havana, cuba. It provided a framework and measurement approach to examine and compare aspects of health. It is unlikely that the united states will adopt socialized health care any time soon, but some of the cuban system s distinguishing features might still provide useful lessons. Full text full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. After two years of clinical work in a cuban hospital being back in a classroom learning public health theory is somewhere between mind numbing and infuriating. Overview of evolving changes in cubas health services. When those subsidies were lost, the cuban medical system began a steady and inevitable decline. September 12, 2007 cuba has better health care than u. This vertical health care system requires nearly twice as many primary care physicians per capita.
Perspectives from cuba s national health system 271 approach before the trip was embarked on, the cuban ministry of health was contacted to inform them of the purpose of the visit and to arrange interviews with key people. Home decorating style 2020 for cuban healthcare system pdf, you can see cuban healthcare system pdf and more pictures for home interior designing 2020 817 at manuals library. The world health organization who ranked the health systems of its 191 member states in its world health report 2000. Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 321k, or click on a page image below to browse page by page. Aside from monetary comp ensation, the cuban healthcare system is not b ene. Phc is an integral component of both the health care. In the years since, the system has continued to develop and diversify. One for foreigners who can pay with hard currency, one for cuban elites government officials, celebrities, etc. Mar 30, 2015 public health in cuba is not a priority, my public health class teacher had finally said something that brought me back from daydreaming it is an obsession. Cuba is the only country that has a health care system closely linked to research and development. One of those problems is the inequality of care between urban and rural areas.
My observations as an outsider mainly revolved around the way the cuban people came together and supported one another, as marginalized communities often do. The myth of cubas glorious health care system foundation. Cuba myths and facts washington office on latin america. Universal access to quality healthcare has become a signature achievement of the cuban revolution. According to unicef, the cuban healthcare system provides medical services freeofcharge to 98 percent. Municipal authorities oversee a communitybased primary care level consisting of consultorios firstlevel clinics for consultation with doctors and nurses and regional polyclinics. Cuba s healthcare system is a source of pride for its communist government. During her recent visit to havana in july of 2014, margaret chan, directorgeneral of the world health organization who, impressed by the countrys achievements in this field, praised the cuban health care system. Primary health care in cuba consortium of universities for. Mark cuban just released his own obamacare replacement plan, and its a doozy. However, there are more to come, and cuba still has a long way to go in living up to its reputation of having one of the best healthcare systems. Relatively little is known about the organisation and achievements of cuba s healthcare system due to the.
Primary health care in cuba consortium of universities. Is the cuban healthcare system really as great as people. Cuba s health system is strongly focused on prevention. Health in cuba international journal of epidemiology. World health organization ranking of health systems in. Cuba receives much needed foreign currency and in return, qatar has the benefit of improved healthcare that mirrors the success of cubas own system huish, 2014. Is the cuban healthcare system really as great as people claim. Health services are widely available to the population, without regard to economic status, politics, race or.
Enthusiasm around the cuban health system often stems from an. Multispecialty polyclinics were established across cuba in the 1970s, before the 1978 declaration of almaata, and these were transformed with the addition of the family doctorandnurse programme in the mid1980s, enhancing the health system s ability to deliver on prevention and community health analysis, as well as clinical services. Chances are, if you turn on the news in canada, youll see a story related to health care. This brief article examines the development of the health workforce and the systems that support them in cuba.
Julie feinsilver in community health care in cuba edited by susan e. Oct 06, 2017 health system differences between cuba and the united states likely account for much of cubas ability to do more with less. System and the global, social and economic development of the community it is the central function and core of the health care system it is the firstlevel contact of the individual, family and community with the health care system. Apr 24, 2018 the national health policy in cuba gives priority to health as a right, an essential component of human wellbeing and a strategic objective of development. Everyone has a family physician, everything is fre. The current system was initially created in 1961 by the cuban ministry of public health, which was charged with the task of developing universal care. Article in ums cuban affairs journal reveals details. The canadian system has many challenges, despite its excellent reputation. Introduction this article first introduces the community health care network of cuba, mainly focusing on the threelevel setup of the cuban community healthcare system. With recent developments in the renewal of diplomatic relations between the us and cuba, we thought it would be good to start the new year by sharing a few facts on cuba and its education system. System and the global, social and economic development of the community it is the central function and core of the health care system it is the firstlevel contact of the individual, family and community with the health care system it is provided as close as possible to the home and workplace. Communitybased polyclinics are the centre piece of cubas primary health care system.
Multispecialty polyclinics were established across cuba in the 1970s, before the 1978 declaration of almaata, and these were transformed with the addition of the family doctorandnurse programme in the mid1980s, enhancing the health systems ability to deliver on prevention and communityhealth analysis, as well as clinical services. Community healthcare services in cuba cubas contribution to the world. The national health policy in cuba gives priority to health as a right, an essential component of human wellbeing and a strategic objective of development. Public health in cuba is not a priority, my public health class teacher had finally said something that brought me back from daydreaming it is an obsession. That is the conclusion of an article titled reexamining the cuban health care system included in the latest edition of the online journal, cuban affairs, published by the university of miamis institute for. Health workforce development in the cuban health system. Enthusiasm around the cuban health system often stems from an exclusive attention to one indicator, infant mortality rate imr, the value of which has been manipulated by a state seeking political legitimacy. Dr mmembe added that fidel consistently promoted advances in primary healthcare. Cuba has great socialized medicine much better than the halfsocialized system the united states has, according to. Pdf cubas exclusively public health system has been quite unique in pairing limited resources with excellent results.
Cuba primary health care in action world health organization. Dec 22, 2014 forbes takes privacy seriously and is committed to transparency. Although mutual awareness has been limited by longterm political hostilities between the united states and cuban governments, the history and details of the cuban health system indicate that their health system merits attention as an example of a national integrated approach resulting in improved health status. Education is a priority, and there is almost universal literacy. Health system in cuba pan american journal of public health. World health organization ranking of health systems in 2000. A primary selling point of socialism is that everyone is treated equally regardless of class or ability to pay. This social intervention is a key component to the overall healthcare system. Cuban social policy issues program spring 2014 final paper. Universal health care is free, and everyone has a family physician and nurse. Feb 10, 2017 cubas healthcare system is a source of pride for its communist government.
The power of the cuban state prevents these poorly paid but highly trained healthcare workers from leaving the system. Cuba s health care system is based on preventive medicine and the results achieved are outstanding. Forbes takes privacy seriously and is committed to transparency. The system is a relatively smooth combination of public health and medicine. It continued to perform well during the economic crisis of the 1990s, and now. It has been suggested that this article be merged into list of countries by quality of healthcare. Cultures and history of medicine for over half a century, the small island of cuba has gained a global reputation for its pioneering health system. Cuba remains an enigma to north americans and europeans alike. Cuba has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Universal health coverage and universal access to health care. The cuban constitution defines the country as an independent, sovereign, democratic, and socialist state. Being cuban seems to mean binding together to meet the needs of the people around you. This level is famously characterized by a general familydoctorandnurse model mef, for its. Cuba is the largest of all islands in the caribbean.
Community based polyclinics are the centre piece of cubas primary health care system. N on the recent ceres tour of cuba i took the opportunity wherever i could to find out more about the. The strength of the cuban security apparatus is such that it can keep its doctors within the system even as it. Sep 05, 2017 this social intervention is a key component to the overall healthcare system. The who country health profile of cuba provides key statistics and links to health topical databases, plus news, features and bulletin journal articles on the health issues of the country. In the mid1990s, the ministry of public health minsap, the. Understanding the canadian health care system health. Some of our lack of knowledge about the cuban experience may be because the. Although many of the cuban health indicators are among the best. System and the global, social and economic development of the community. Cubas healthcare system is a source of pride for its communist government. Cubas health care system proved to be as vibrant as the view, leading my ideas of public health and medicine down new pathways.
Mar 30, 2017 when those subsidies were lost, the cuban medical system began a steady and inevitable decline. In the early 1960s, the new revolutionary government nationalized medical. A literature search, reading, and discussions with individuals and organisations with an interest in cuban. It is unlikely that the united states will adopt socialized health care any time soon, but some of the cuban systems distinguishing features might still provide useful lessons.
Cuba s exclusively public health system has been quite unique in pairing limited resources with excellent results. Community healthcare services in cuba cuba s contribution to the world. The overall performance of the cuban health system, measured by progress in health conditions, has been overrated. According to unicef, the cuban healthcare system provides medical services freeofcharge to 98 percent of the population, surpassing health care coverage in both the united states and the rest of latin america. Mo dernizing the cuban healthcare system by up dating. The country has welltrained, capable doctors, the sector has become an important export earner and gives cuba valuable soft power yet the real picture is less rosy. From a politicaladministrative standpoint, the country is divided into 14 provinces. Cubas surprisingly costeffective healthcare forbes. The fundamentals of how a government system provides for its citizens rests on the morals and ideologies that underlie the system itself. He believes that across the political spectrum, few would dispute the outstanding successes the cuban healthcare system has achieved under the revolution.
Pdf overview of the cuban health system julie m feinsilver. According to margaret chan, the world should follow the example of the island in this arena and replace the curative model, inefficient and more expensive, with a preventionbased system. The cuban healthcare system employs a threetiered structure for organizing primary, secondary, and tertiary care. Mar 09, 2017 mark cuban just released his own obamacare replacement plan, and its a doozy. A well trained and well managed workforce is crucial for facilitating access to good quality health services. Jan 17, 2017 the current system was initially created in 1961 by the cuban ministry of public health, which was charged with the task of developing universal care. Community healthcare services in cuba cubas contribution. Although cuba has limited economic resources, its health care system has solved some problems that the u. Jan 23, 2019 the cuban government continues to respond to interna tional criticism of its human rights record by citingpraise for its achievements in h ealth and medicine th e unequivocally positive descriptions of the cuban health care system in the social science literature are somewhat mi sleading.
Inadequacies in the cuban healthcare system stem from the cuban governments failure to prioritize healthcare by diverting its resources to other areas. Two generations ago there was no society with the exception of canada that was more tightly integrated into the us cultural and economic sphere. In george orwells dystopian masterpiece animal farm the idea that all animals are equal is soon changed to all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others. Since 1961, the educational system in cuba has been run by the state nationalizing private institutions at all levels of education. Cuba is the only country that has a health care system closely linked to. In 2001, members of the uk house of commons health select committee travelled to cuba and issued a report that paid tribute to the success of the cuban healthcare system, based on its strong emphasis on disease prevention and commitment to the practice of medicine in a community. This study recommends that the cuban healthcare system develop a managerial track is distinct from the clinical route and that it expand partnership.