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Tuesday, 29 November 2005 06:09 |
By STEPHANIE THOMAS
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The health care changes in Cuba were overseen by Fidel Castro during the last 40 years.
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Since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Americans have had mixed feelings about Cuba, but visiting the country and witnessing the manner in which people live can cause those feelings to change, Katrina Sommers, a representative for Witness for Peace, said during a discussion Nov. 9 at UNC Asheville.
?®When I was able to go to Cuba in March, I got my own feelings about this nation,?∆ Sommers said. ?®What really interested me was how the health care system cares for every citizen, from birth to death.?∆
The presentation to about 50 people in Karpen Hall, titled ?®Socialist Cuba Today: A First-hand Account,?∆ was sponsored by the UNCA Philosophical Society and the UNCA Socialist Unity League and was introduced by Ellen Bailey, a lecturer of Spanish and French at UNCA.
The type of socialist health care system featured in Cuba allows for each citizen ?±?± men and women, children and the elderly ?±?± to receive personalized care, and Sommers said she wonders why ?®we can??t have this type of system here.?∆
Sommers also noted that immunizations and surgical procedures are among the health care services available for Cubans.
?®In neighborhoods, there is (a doctor) who is always there and is usually a ?¥she,???∆ Sommers noted. ?®I know that sounds unusual.?∆
She told the audience about the neighborhood doctor that she encountered during her six days in Cuba, and what she learned when visiting a medical clinic in Havana.
?®They are required to see (patients) two times per year ?±?± one time in the home, and one time in the clinic,?∆ Sommers explained. ?®It was amazing to me, the dedication to the people she served.?∆
In addition to the quality of health care services for Cubans, Sommers also noted that medical school is free in
Cuba, and has produced more than 66,000 doctors during the past 40 years, many of whom have helped patients in other third-world countries in Latin America.
?®Cuba was one of the first responders to our needs after 9/11, and they were denied,?∆ she stated.
Ironically, Sommers noted that since its establishment, Cuba??s medical schools have enrolled 78 U.S. citizens, all of whom were fully paid for by the Cuban government.
?®I was very impressed with the medical (structure) in Cuba, and how they value the life of their citizens to that extent to make arrangements to do so,?∆ she added.
Meanwhile, Bailey explained to the audience why she ?®believes in first-hand experience,?∆ and why one of the goals of Witness for Peace is to ?®help inform ourselves about the embargo?∆ and how ?®U.S. foreign policy effects
the lives of Cubans.?∆
What was considerably shocking during the trip to Cuba, she added, was learning ?®how difficult it can be to get the truth,?∆ even when ?®you are hearing it from the horse??s mouth.?∆
?®The handouts we were given in Cuba contained no citations or sources,?∆ Bailey noted, and proceeded to tell a
story about the Cuban government??s knowledge of activities within the country.
?®There were 75 descendents jailed in Cuba for protest,?∆ Bailey told the audience. ?®We learned that the protesters were paid by the U.S. government to protest! They were mercenaries sent to wreak havoc in Cuba.?∆
What the country of Cuba has been able to create is an ?®image of solidarity,?∆ she continued, while noting that ?®what is fundamental to understanding Cuba, on a personal level, is that it??s about giving what you have ?±?± not your extra.?∆
?®It??s about sticking together and helping each other out,?∆ Bailey said. ?®They??ve learned sustainability, because it would be difficult to get ahold of what they need.?∆
She added that Cubans have ?®learned to get by without oil,?∆ and that they ?®are better off without it.?∆
While the Witness for Peace organization stresses the importance of first-hand experience, Bailey noted that, unfortunately, the ?®license was not renewed in April by the (current) administration,?∆ which means delegates are no longer allowed to travel to Cuba, although they ?®continue to monitor developments.?∆ |
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