Cuban Health System

Health

The whole island is dotted by an extensive net of healthcare facilities that provide medical assistance in a large scale. In rural areas the "Family Physician" system has been adopted. The physician, who live in the community in the same facility where they practice, is available to patients at any time. The major hospitals located in the provincial capitals specialize in operations and more complex treatments. Medical assistance is free of charge for all Cubans, only medicines are to be paid for at the pharmacies at very low prices. However, this sector has also been affected by the embargo and the economic crisis. Preventive medicine receives special attention. Regular vaccination and general check-ups have largely reduced infant mortality to the lowest possible levels in a matter of a few years (7,1%) only compared to industrialized countries. Polio, malaria, diphtheria, chicken- and smallpox have been utterly wiped out of Cuban soil.

AIDS patients are normally institutionalized, in accordance to the disease stage. There are 8,714 AIDS cases in the whole of Cuba, 80% of them is made up of men. In cases that do not required intensive care people may lead normal lives and the Cuban state guarantees the necessary drugs and special diet. Thanks to the restless prophylactic programs, AIDS does not pose such a serious threat in Cuba as compared to many other nations.