larry, when you mention that Cuba can deliver medical services at 1% of what our cost, what costs are you talking about?
I don't know what costs I'm talking about. I mentioned the problems our hospital (and most rural hospitals) is having to some doctors who I thought were well informed. They spoke to me of Cuba - and gave me this tid-bit. I have no idea what it means but it's important to me to investigate any approach which might allow rural hospitals to deliver decent health-care and run in the black. The alternative - continuing on the present path - seems to lead to vastly diminished health-care in rural areas, no hospitals, and the increasing death of rural communities.
Perhaps that's inevitable in a changing economy. But since I live here, and have taken the post of director, I'm not neutral.
There are great doctors in Cuba, there have ALWAYS been great doctors in Cuba, this isn't something Castro invented.
They don't have proper equipment to treat the general public, the good equipment and drugs are set aside for government officials (pinchos), or foreign tourists.
The medical attention that's most available to the populace is a doctor sadly shaking his head, knowing that given the right equipment and medications, the patient may survive, but well aware that the equipment needed, and those medications are tagged for others.
It's like the whole thing about everyone in Cuba being able to read...they're just not allowed to read what they want to read.