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. It continued to perform well during the economic crisis of the 1990s, and now that the hardships are being overcome, new opportunities are developingas well as threats. How does cuba manage to achieve firstworld health statistics. Primary health care in cuba consortium of universities for.
As someone who trained as a doctor in cuba, id like to give. The national immunization program nip begun in 1962 has considerably reduced the infectious disease burden in cuba over the years, especially among children. Cubas health care system is revolutionary because rather than focusing on profit, it has made its focus the health of individuals, which capitalist countries have deprioritized. Michael moore, the worlds most gullible leftist filmmaker, took a trip to cuba in 2007 to show americans what they were missing by not having free national health care. 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. That way, living in cuba can be an amazing experience, with joyful, welcoming people and constant sunshine. The overall performance of the cuban health system, measured by progress in health conditions, has been overrated.
Health system in cuba designed by ezeddin oun soula najib mohamed ibrahim elmasauri tareq omar eljahouni istanbul medipol university 2. Is the cuban healthcare system really as great as people claim. Communitybased polyclinics are the centre piece of cubas primary health care system. Health system differences between cuba and the united states likely account for much of cuba s ability to do more with less. Health workforce development in the cuban health system hrh. Cuba is preparing a computerized health register, hospital management system, primary health care, academic affairs, medical genetic projects, neurosciences, and educational software. Note l page 15 levels of care health centers doctors office selfcare hospitals hospitals institutions ge ty primary health careility. Cubas accomplishments in infant health have been used to praise the health system created by the revolution and are still presented as one of the best examples of good health at low cost. Cuba april 25, 2015 the cuban health care system and child health outcomes.
Full text full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. In the mid1990s, the ministry of public health minsap, the. Cubas health care system is based on preventive medicine and the results achieved are outstanding. Cubas national health system since the 1959 revolution. Although cuba has achieved success with its current model, it was not the starting point.
Dr rebeca mendoza, the director of a polyclinic in havana, cuba. Cuba has one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Many cubans including a number of health professionals also had serious complaints about the intrusion of politics in to medical treatment and health care decisionmaking. The truth about cubas health care system acton institute. Previously, it ran a dual privatepublic health system with around 6,000 physicians, twothirds of. Cuba health system universal free accessible everyone has the right to health protection and care. Cubas health system was transformed as a result of the 1959 revolution led by fidel castro. 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. A close look at cubas health care system cuba and the. Cuba s health system was transformed as a result of the 1959 revolution led by fidel castro. The cuban health care system and child health outcomes.
For the past 50 years, cuba has developed an exclusively public and integrated national health system providing adequate and accessible health services feinsilver 1993. Characterize primary health care phc as the base of a health care system 2. It is unlikely that the united states will adopt socialized healthcare any time soon, but some of the cuban systems distinguishing features might still provide useful lessons. Community based polyclinics are the centre piece of cubas primary health care system. 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. Community healthcare services in cuba cubas contribution to the world. Health system in cuba pan american journal of public health. Prior to the cuban revolution in 1959, cubas health care provision followed. Jan 23, 2019 one of the most readily apparent problems with the health care system in cuba is the severe shortage of medicines, equipment, a nd other supplies. Margaret chan, the director general of the who, stated after a visit to cuba in 2014 that this is the way to go, and acknowledged it as one of the modelsystems of the world. The cuban constitution defines the country as an independent, sovereign, democratic, and socialist state.
Cuba primary health care in action world health organization. The myth of cubas glorious health care system foundation. Read our guide and find out all about different destinations, healthcare, and accommodation in cuba. Introduction this article first introduces the community health care network of cuba, mainly focusing on the threelevel setup of the cuban community healthcare system. Feb 10, 2017 cubas healthcare system is a source of pride for its communist government. The cuban health system is recognized worldwide for its excellence and its efficiency.
L ong perceived and touted as a positive result of the cuban revolution which left fidel castro in power in 1959, health care in cuba is complex. The ministry of public health estimates that some 560,000 children would have contracted these diseases, some with fatal outcomes. 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. Nov 30, 2016 here are six facts that reveal the truth about the cuban 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. Community healthcare services in cuba cubas contribution. A well trained and well managed workforce is crucial for facilitating access to good quality health services. Kennedy once stated, children are the worlds most valuable resource and its best hope for the future. 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. Identify the components of primary health care and their application models. N on the recent ceres tour of cuba i took the opportunity wherever i could to find out more about the. Overview of evolving changes in cubas health services. The basis for the entire cuban healthcare system is preventive care and the primary healthcare phc model.
Clinical services and human resources development gradually, cubas nearly 500 communitybased polyclinics are. This brief article examines the development of the health workforce and the systems that support them in cuba. An admirable accomplishment with lurking questions john f. Contrary to what you might expect cuba has an extensive public healthcare system, to which. Establishing their ideology as the basis, cuba has formed their health care system into a free service, just one of the aspects in their socialist philosophy. 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. Dec 22, 2014 in contrast, cubas health system is strongly focused on prevention, using lowtech means extraordinarily effectively. Perspectives from cubas national health system radcliffe publishing. Education is a priority, and there is almost universal literacy.
Preventive and curative quality care in an equitable societal context eisen 1996. The health system should cooperate in global health activities. The aim is to maintain quality health service free for the cuban people, increase exchange among experts and boost researchdevelopment projects. Dugas and van dormael 2003 has led to remarkable health outcomes. Cuba s health care system is based on preventive medicine and the results achieved are outstanding.
Mar 30, 2015 aside from the looming selfinflicted disconnect between theory and reality in cuba my professor is absolutely correct, in cuba public health is an obsession. 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. Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 321k, or click on a page image below to browse page by page. Enthusiasm around the cuban health system often stems from an. Getting to the status quo of a singular, state funded public health system is a journey marked four key periods and a contemporary fifth that is still being defined. Cuba s exclusively public health system has been quite unique in pairing limited resources with excellent results. Pdf cubas exclusively public health system has been quite unique in pairing limited resources with excellent results. 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.
Steven ullmann, um health care business expert, provides perspective on cubas health care system. Health status of the cuban population cubas health system is free of charge in all respects and gives priority to preventive medicine, which has helped to reduce infant mortality to a rate of 5. Julie feinsilver in community health care in cuba edited by susan e. Health system differences between cuba and the united states likely account for much of cubas ability to do more with less. Although many of the cuban health indicators are among the best. Health sector expertise at the service of nutrition to support the programs outlined above, the health system, its institutions and professionals are responsible for a spectrum of supporting activities, as follows.
The cuban public health system focuses research on community. Describe cuba s primary health care model and its main experiences 4. Health care in cuba is guided by some fundamental basic principles such as the state and social character of medicine, access, and universality as well as the implementation of the latest scientific and technologic advances consistent with the realities of a lowincome country. Reader in primary health care, university of hertfordshire, hatfield, uk. Cubas exclusively public health system has been quite unique in pairing limited resources with excellent results. Universal health coverage and universal access to health care. Primary health care in cuba consortium of universities.
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