Cuban Health System

by
Mike Kirby

Recently, Diane Watson, Democratic Representative from California stated the following on August 28, 2009:

"It was just mentioned to me by our esteemed speaker, "Did anyone say anything about the Cuban health system?"

And lemme tell ya, before you say "Oh, it's a commu-", you need to go down there and see what Fidel Castro put in place. And I want you to know, now, you can think whatever you want to about Fidel Castro, but he was one of the brightest leaders I have ever met. [APPLAUSE]

And you know the Cuban revolution that kicked out the wealthy, Che Guevara did that, and then, after they took over, they went out among the population to find someone who could lead this new nation, and they found…well, just leave it there (laughs), an attorney by the name of Fidel Castro…"

Okay, it is rather obvious that she is quite infatuated with "…one of the brightest leaders. So the question is what health plan did this great leader put into place? In 1976, Article 50 of the revised constitution states: "Everyone has the right to health protection and care." And what is the great Casto's health care offer? Well, lets see:

• Cuban government operates the national health system and assumes full fiscal and administrative responsibility, therefore, taxation for the purpose of funding such an elaborate system has stifled the Cuban population to the point of utter poverty;
• Since the government operates the health system there is no private health care system;
• No right to privacy;
• No patient's informed consent as to their treatment. In other words, if the decision is made to amputate a leg, you lose your leg. You have no choice;
• No malpractice. Although we hate the abuses that come from malpractice and it drives our current cost of health care up, it is a form of what you call checks and balances. It keeps the industry practicing quality health care, at least to some degree;
• There is no right to refuse treatment;
• Treatment, or lack thereof, is politically targeted.
• Cuban Health Care does not meet U.S. standards;
• Health facilities face shortages of medical supplies and bed space (see comments in other bullets);
• Many medicines are unavailable. Even if a physician wanted to write a prescription there would be no place to fill it.
• There is a staggering lack of medical care. In some cases, doctors are not even available:
• Quality medicine is given up for quantity medicine;
• There are two health systems in Cuba, those who pay cash (tourists and other foreign visitors) and Communist Party officials, and another for Cubans, who are forced to take with them even the most basic necisities when visiting a Cuban hospital. They are often subject to long waits at government hospitals.

I could go on, but I think you get the jest of the system that is in place in Cuba, and for that matter in any country that may practice socialized medicine.

Speaking of Cuba and other communist countries let me provide a quote by Eldridge Cleaver, former member and co-founder of the Black Panthers in the 60s. As you know he escaped prison for crimes in the U.S. and was offered asylum in several communist countries. He stated that after he had lived for several years in communist countries," …his political radicalism began to wane and he became more conservative in his beliefs. Eventually, he could no longer abide life away from the United States, and by the mid-1970s Cleaver began to voice a different view of his native country. In 1975 he returned to the States where he was immediately put in prison. I was actually in a meeting where he spoke and he stated, 'I'd rather be in jail in America than free anywhere else.'"

So what else has the great Castro given to his people?

• Since 1959, there have been an approximate 1.2 million people who have defected to the U.S. That is about 10% of their population. Yet, people are willing to risk their lives to leave in rickety boats or rafts that barely float. I think that it would be safe to say that if you considered the approximate population of the United States is around 304,000,000, that means that if it was so bad in the U.S. we would be have been seeing an exodus of about 30,400,000 people fleeing to other countries. Interestingly, other countries are trying to wall their citizens in. The U.S. has been trying to find a way to keep illegal aliens out, because this is the greatest country in the world. Well, at least it was.
• There is a stark comparison of the penal system in the U.S. and that of Cuba. Ours is so humane, that some people commit crimes to remain in prison. In Cuba, you see unwarranted arrests, violent interrogations (and I don't mean simple water boarding), hard labor, extreme unsanitary conditions, biological experiments, lack of adequate diet, etc. Sentences, more often than not, don't fit the charge or even the ever so often trumped up charges.
• There is only one political party. Anyone who opposes, slanders, defames, the party, or insults any leader of said party shall have the opportunity of experiencing the penal system this great leader has established. Freedom of speech exists only if you praise or support the ruling party. Opposition is not tolerated and is usually violently repressed.
• Censorship is alive and well. The government controls what is said and what is read. Freedom of expression is not tolerated. This goes for freedom of religion as well. When Castro came into power all property held by religious organizations were confiscated. Religious leaders were either expelled or arrested. The belief of the government was atheism. In wasn't until 1992 when Pope John Paul II visited Cuba that Castro finally relaxed his prohibition slightly relative to religion.
• There are no private property rights. Everything is controlled by the state. In order to move to another home, permission from the government is required.
• Jobs are usually selected by the government. You are assigned based on your school grades and reputation.
• Unlike the U.S. travel restrictions are strictly controlled. If allowed to leave the country for brief stints, those who go often must leave behind family who are, in essence, hostages should the person who leaves tries to defect. Often those left behind face severe punishment for those who defect. Sure, there have been times when Castro allowed voluntary emigration, but those times are rare and those who are allowed to emigrate must pay dearly or undesirables.
• Education is government directed, therefore, those who go through the education system have been politically indoctrinated. The ideology of the Communist party is taught and anything else is not tolerated. Although there is free education, there is not freedom to learn freely.
• There is racism in Cuba. Civil rights in Cuba means that African-Cubans have very little rights and is subject to going to jail if brought up as a means of opposing the government's stand on equal rights.
• For those people of alternative gender preferences, if they have a desire to pattern our current government after Cuba or other communist (socialistic) countries, perhaps they should become a little more educated. In Cuba, those of alternative lifestyles are not tolerated and often an attempt of re-cleansing is mandatory. According to Castro, "in the country, there are no homosexuals". It is true, there has been a little more tolerance, but it appears that that tolerance is only on the surface.

I recall what my in-laws said when they lived in the Philippines. They were having a conversation regarding the poor in that country. My father-in-law said that there are poor in the U.S. The person they spoke to asked several questions. For example, do most of your poor people have homes to live in, televisions, cars, etc? The response was, "Yes, most of our poor people do." Then response back was that you really didn't have poor people. I believe that when you change the present system of government to a socialized form of government you will most definitely have true poor.

Finally, in 1962 Russian Premier Khrushchev said,

"We can't expect the American people to jump from capitalism to Communism but we can assist their leaders by giving them small amounts of Socialism until they awaken one day to find out they have Communism."

Little by little, communism has been fed to us. We have accepted it a spoonful at a time. Now it is staring us right in the face and we are wondering how this ever happened. To many they think that socialized health care, sharing the wealth, government control provides equality to all. We have a president, leaders of state, judges, etc. who now are embracing this philosophy. They are trying to convince the American people that everyone will live in a form Utopia and enjoy the fruits thereof equally. Sadly, many people believe it. Eventually, they will find out that there will be no equal rights for all; there will be no rights for anyone. We will be slaves and servants. The freedom so many fought, bled, and died for will be lost.

© Mike Kirby, September 2009