Restating The Obvious
By Pejman Yousefzadeh Posted in Contra Tyrannum | Featured Stories — Comments (3) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
For the umpteenth time, it appears that it has been made necessary for someone to write about the fact--which should be obvious by now--that life in Cuba really is bad. And given the state of current cinematic events, it would seem that the following passage (whose point, again, should be obvious by now) needs to be emphasized for those who are "reality-based" in name only:
Healthcare and education are supposed to be the redeeming graces of the regime, but this is questionable. There are a large number of doctors, but, according to most Cubans I know, many have left the country and the health system is in a ragged state--apart from those hospitals reserved for foreigners--and people often have to pay a bribe to get treated. Michael Moore, the American film director, who has recently been praising the system should take note of the real life stories beneath the statistics. I went into a couple of hospitals for locals on my latest visit. In the first, my friend told me not to say a word in case my accent was noticed, as foreigners are not allowed in these places. I was appalled by the hygiene and amazed at the antiquity of the building and some of the equipment. I was told that the vast majority of Cuban hospitals, apart from two in Havana, were built before the revolution. Which revolution, I wondered; this one seemed to date from the 1900s.
On another occasion, I saw a man in a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck hurrying along the boulevard of Vedado, in west Havana. We struck up a conversation. He was on his way to the hospital around the corner. I asked him if he would take me there. He was charming and intelligent, and had that ease of communication that many Cubans possess: he wasn't at all taken aback by an unknown woman in dark glasses asking to accompany him to work. The doctor told me that I shouldn't be too shocked; the hospital was being "refurbished." The building certainly was in a state of filth and decrepitude. This was not a place one would want to be ill in.
« "CIBD" — Comments (7) | Mind . . . Reeling — Comments (10) »
Restating The Obvious 3 Comments (0 topical, 3 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
I was flipping channels this morning and Matt Lauer is broadcasting on Today Show from Havana. Of course there are colorful vibrant salsa dancers around him and everything is hunky dory happy!
Just because you have the right, doesn't mean you should.
where he was obviously in the 'foreign quarter' as everything was bright and clean, I watched for a few moments and then flipped on. I wasn't impressed with his 'statistic that "two million people a year visit Cuba" as most of them are not US citizens.
Health care in Cuba for Cubans appears to be 3rd rate, at best.
Well the Cuban government long for the day when Soviets provided a $6.0 billion dollar subsidy each year. Apparently, that paid for a lot of infrastructure.
In a country where the average wage hovers around $10.00, I imagine socialized medicine is a great idea. Otherwise, how would they pay for it? In addition, back in 1990 the Red Cross was denied access to prisoners; wonder how their health is and where the entire “US GITMO is a violation of the Geneva Convention” crowd was?
I am not certain who actually believes Moore’s stunt to find a functioning, un-dilapidated clinic in Cuba. However, it is insulting to think informed people do not know otherwise; but I guess that is not who the propaganda is aimed at. The government has spent more in one year on programs to help WTC workers and survivors, than Cuba spends for it’s entire population; that is pathetic.
"Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori"
Contributor to The Minority Report