The Cuban Healthcare system
The Cuban Healthcare system is borne out of revolutionist’s social ideology of healthcare accessibility as a fundamental right to all Cuban citizens. The healthcare system focuses on preventive approaches to medicine and offers the simplest check-up in surgeries, which are free of charge. The system covers the dental care, medicines, and home visits by the doctors. The island has the health statistics that support this system. It shows an infant mortality rate of about 4.2% per thousand occurring births, a life expectancy of 77 years for men and 81 years for women, and a doctor-patient ratio of one per 150 individuals. Cuban doctors remark that becoming a doctor is not about money but the need to help people (Fuente, 2017).
The government spends roughly US$300-$400(£240-£320) per person each year on healthcare, pays doctors $64 (£52) per month, but gains about US$8 billion (£6.4 billion) annually as a result of its overseas medical missions. Some doctors opt for participating in these missions due to a better paycheck. The Cuban government sends thousands of doctors overseas due to the number of doctors in Cuba. This leads to fewer doctors at clinics, thus lead to long queues at the hospitals and clinics. In most cases, a patient may end up traveling from one province to another to visit a specialist due to the surge of Cuban doctors being sent overseas. The Health care infrastructure system in Cuba also needs attention.
The clinics and hospitals that are operating require to be upgraded. There exists an urgent need for modern equipment, stable electricity, and a quality supply of water. The Cuban government has a hard time addressing and trying to mitigate these issues due to the trade embargo placed on Cuba by the United States government, which has its impacts. A perfect example is that Cuba would rather source its medical equipment from China than the US, a neighboring country. These difficulties in the country have led to the decline of primary healthcare in Cuba (Brown, 2010).
The Cuban mortality rate is on par with the richest countries in the world. Data recorded by the World Bank in 2018 was such that there existed six deaths on every thousand people. Cuba’s life expectancy matches with countries such as New Zealand and the United States. Cuba’s population of 11.27 million has 452 out-patient clinics, and the government gives priority to disease prevention, universal coverage, and access to treatment (Fuente, 2017). The Cuban healthcare system is also widely involved with medical research and has produced many innovations in medicine.
Fuente (2017) emphasizes that the country has pioneered the first vaccine against meningitis B as well as new treatments for hepatitis B. Cuban healthcare system consists of special clinics reserved for tourists, politicians, and VIPs. The state reserves the best hospitals for national elites. The health service is divided into two, one involving Cubans and the other for foreigners. Doctors are arguably the most profitable resource for Cuba and prove to be a diplomatic tool. Despite its emerging issues, the healthcare industry in Cuba is one of the country’s sources of income.