General economic situation in the country: The shortages and limited resources affecting Cuba inevitably impact on the public hospital sector as well.
To give just one example, I will take as a reference the opinion of a woman from Holguin that was published in Diario de Cuba
"Although it should be the opposite, in this country a hospital is possibly the most unhealthy place there is," says Georgina, an elderly Holguinera who suffers from type 2 diabetes and has lymphangitis in her right foot. "There are supposed to be hygienic conditions there, but no,you feel that your health and life are in danger when you are admitted to a hospital, so filthy is everything. That's why people try not to go to the hospital until the last minute," he criticises.
Although the dictatorship accuses the embargo of imposing restrictions on access to certain medical supplies and equipment, it is not the main cause of the hygiene problems in Cuban hospitals, according to experts. There are internal structural, organisational and economic factors that the Cuban government must address and resolve in order to improve this precarious situation that affects the health of the Cuban population.
Can Cuba’s Infant Mortality Rates Be Trusted?
It is a valid concern to question the reliability of infant mortality statistics reported by Cuba's Castro-communist dictatorship, given accusations that the government manipulates the data to show better indicators.
It is a valid concern to question the reliability of infant mortality statistics reported by Cuba's Castro-communist dictatorship, given accusations that the government manipulates the data to show better indicators.
Some international organisations and independent experts have expressed doubts about the methods used by Cuba to record infant deaths. Specifically, it has been reported that in some cases babies who are born alive but die soon after are improperly registered as "late foetal deaths" rather than infant deaths.
This practice distorts the real figures by excluding some deaths from the calculation of the infant mortality rate, making it appear artificially lower.
They are also reported to be recorded as "late foetal deaths" instead of infant deaths.
Additionally, the lack of access by independent external observers to primary data from medical records in Cuba makes it difficult to objectively verify the reported information.
The lack of access by independent external observers to primary data from medical records in Cuba makes it difficult to objectively verify the reported information.
On the other hand, organisations such as the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have tended to generally endorse the Cuban figures, which shows the deplorable political complicity of these organisations with the Castro dictatorship.
They have also tended to support the Cuban figures, which shows the deplorable political complicity of these organisations with the Castro dictatorship.
In short, there is an open debate on this sensitive issue. Although Cuba boasts extremely low infant mortality rates, the evidence for allegations of politically motivated statistical manipulation is irrefutable. Greater transparency and access to primary data by international bodies would be desirable to dismantle the false myths of Cuba's misnamed "Medical Power".
Is Cuba's Public Health System of Quality, Accessible and Free for All: Reality or Propaganda?
Inequalities in healthcare
One could conclude that in Cuba the so-called quality, accessible and free public health system for all its citizens is a political slogan, since the difference is abysmal if we compare it with those received by members of the government and foreigners. The slogan of a quality, accessible and free public health system for all Cuban citizens is more a political and propagandistic slogan than a fully materialised reality. The complicity of international organisations such as the UN and the WHO in endorsing the falsehood of the Cuban communist regime's achievements in the field of health is alarming.
The evidence points to profound inequalities and very marked gaps in the medical care received by different sectors of the Cuban population:
1) While ordinary citizens depend on the deteriorated public network of hospitals and clinics with huge shortages of supplies, obsolete infrastructure and deplorable hygienic conditions, government elites and high-ranking officials enjoy higher quality and exclusive medical facilities and services.
2) At the same time, there is a circuit of clinics and care paid for in foreign currency, mainly for foreigners and Cubans living abroad, where state-of-the-art treatments and technologies are offered at very high prices by local standards.
3) There have been documented cases of medical tourism by wealthy foreigners who come to receive state-of-the-art care in Cuba, taking advantage of the price of paid services.
4) In contrast, an ordinary Cuban with a serious illness often faces delays, lack of access to medicines and state-of-the-art technology, and even has to resort to the black or informal market to access certain treatments, as well as to bring his or her bedding, personal clothing, food and even medicines.
In short, although the dictatorship in Cuba claims to provide free healthcare coverage, there are flagrant inequalities in the quality of care, depending on the ability to pay and social status. This calls into question the supposed universal, free and egalitarian nature of health care for all Cubans. To a large extent, this seems to be more of a political campaign than a tangible reality.
Are Cuban Doctors Modern-Day Slaves?
A lot of countries in the world have been forced to use Cuban doctors as modern-day slaves.
Many countries, despite Castro's propaganda, have realised that Cuban doctors' programmes abroad and their so-called medical brigades of the International Contingent of Doctors, are really contingents of modern-day slaves, accusing them of labour exploitation and violations of the human and labour rights of health workers.
Some of the main criticisms are poor working conditions, low salaries for doctors compared to what host countries pay, restrictions on movement and threats if they defect from the programme. It has been described in some cases as a modern form of "forced labour" or "human trafficking".
Arguments for and against
On the other hand, the Cuban dictatorship defends the programme as a way to provide medical assistance to countries with a shortage of health workers and as an important source of income for the Cuban economy. They claim that the professionals participate on a voluntary basis, although some prefer to work as slaves abroad rather than on the island, and for others it is a way of being able to emigrate to other countries if they can escape the medical missions and stop being slaves, knowing the dictatorship's measures against deserters and their families.
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