THE CUBAN MEDICAL SYSTEM

Consider the following from the World Health Organization.

	USA	Cuba
Life Expectancy	79	78
Infant Mortality - death before age of 5 yrs.	.08	.06
Total Spending as a % of GDP	16.2%	11.8%

I propose there is both technology and strategy.  While most of the blogs in this section are technology biased, it is time to consider policy.

The Cuban medical system may be better than the American medical system.  Of course we may have technology on our side, but is it the answer?

Cuba has demonstrated some remarkable skills to achieve these results:

• Focused on prevention.
• Oriented to general practice vs. specialization.
• Been willing to review and change  practices
• Cuban medical school is free and doctors serve regionally as directed by the government.
• Cuban medical school is free for students throughout the world and has graduates in 130 countries.  This is a source of great soft diplomacy.

http://www.who.int/research/en/