Fidel Castro Resigns Cuban Presidency - Page 4

lwarmonger · 02-21-2008, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamercube

Revision: A CT scan probably costs $0 in Cuba, because they have free, universal health care. So who is spending more?

Nothing is ever free. Ever.

**Shek** · 02-21-2008, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chankya

That's misleading. The cost of medical care in America is exorbitant due in large part to the large malpractice insurance doctors take out. The value for each dollar spent would be a better indicator of health care. How much does a CT scan cost in the US? How much does it cost in Cuba? How much for a dental filling? I don't know the answers to those questions but those are the real indicators of medical care not raw money spent.

How many CT scan machines per capita do you think there are in Cuba compared to the US? I don't have the answer, but I strongly suspect that the US is much further ahead in the game.

What about the widespread availability of revolutionary drugs? I guarantee that you're much better off in the US than in Cuba.

So, while you have a valid point in that the figures most likely reflect simple exchange rates as opposed to purchasing power parity, the fact that the US has the income and therefore the access to the latest and greatest technologies in medicine will account for most of the difference. As they say, you get what you pay for.

**Shek** · 02-21-2008, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lwarmonger

Nothing is ever free. Ever.

You mean there a cost to living under communism, which shackles your national income and depresses your standard of living

Bluesman · 02-21-2008, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamercube

Hopefully Castro is not too ill. He has been one of the great leaders of the 20th century, and he will definitely be remembered. As his comrade once said,

"Hasta la Victoria Siempre!"

Was that a joke, or are you REALLY that ignorant?

bolo121 · 02-21-2008, 10:39 AM

The Castropedia: Fidel's Cuba in facts and figures - Americas, World - Independent.co.uk

Quote:

The beard, the cigars, the fatigues, the interminable speeches - not to mention the plucky defiance in the face of the big bad bully from just across the water. There's so much about Fidel Castro that we're going to miss when he's gone, and that moment, it seems, is not far off. As Cuba braces itself for its first leadership change for nearly 50 years, Simon Usborne presents the armchair guide to the man and his nation

Wednesday, 17 January 2007

ASSASSINATION PLOTS

Attempts made on Castro's life since he came to power in 1959: 638 (according to Fabian Escalante, former Cuban security chief).

Quote attributed to Castro: "If surviving assassination attempts were an Olympic event, I would win the gold medal."

Selected CIA plots:

* The exploding cigar. Scientist contaminated Fidel's favourite brand with botulinum toxin, but the cigars were never delivered.

* The exploding conch. Exploiting Castro's love of scuba diving, the CIA planned to pack a mollusc with explosives and paint it in bright colours to attract Castro's attention.

* The poison wetsuit. Plans to send Castro scuba-diving equipment contaminated with deadly fungi were never followed through.

* The LSD. Agents planned to spray Castro's TV studio with the drug in an attempt to induce a humiliating psychedelic episode live on air.

* The lover. The CIA recruited a woman who was in a relationship with Castro. Agents gave her poison pills, which she hid in a jar of cream. She aborted the mission when they dissolved, but Castro, who was aware of the plot, handed her his gun. "I can't do it, Fidel," she told him.

gamercube · 02-21-2008, 13:55 PM

Quote:

Nothing is ever free. Ever.

It is in Cuba. (Especially since you already accounted for the income disparity).

T_igger_cs_30 · 02-21-2008, 14:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamercube

It is in Cuba. (Especially since you already accounted for the income disparity).

Must be awesome.................what part of Cuba do you live in? I am thinking of a holiday there .....

gamercube · 02-21-2008, 14:18 PM

Great. But since you've lived in Canada, you already know the benefits of free healthcare.

T_igger_cs_30 · 02-21-2008, 14:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamercube

Great. But since you've lived in Canada, you already know the benefits of free healthcare.

never denied it , and do not mind subsidising it either with private health plans..................sorry what part of Cuba was that ?

**Shek** · 02-21-2008, 14:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamercube

It is in Cuba. (Especially since you already accounted for the income disparity).

You obviously missed the point. So, how do you fix 10% of children having their growth stunted in Cuba?

gamercube · 02-21-2008, 15:07 PM

Quote:

You obviously missed the point. So, how do you fix 10% of children having their growth stunted in Cuba?

Nutritional deficiencies? One statistic hardly proves anything. The United States' infant mortality rate is only better than Latvia, and is at the bottom of the developed countries list.

lwarmonger · 02-21-2008, 17:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamercube

It is in Cuba. (Especially since you already accounted for the income disparity).

It doesn't matter. Cubans are paying for it. Just like Canadians pay for theirs or the British pay for theirs. They might not be paying for it directly, but they are still paying for it. Nothing is ever free.

**Shek** · 02-21-2008, 17:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamercube

Nutritional deficiencies? One statistic hardly proves anything. The United States' infant mortality rate is only better than Latvia, and is at the bottom of the developed countries list.

Easily explained. What is the median age of childbirth in the US relative to other countries? You'll find the most of the answer there.

chankya · 02-21-2008, 17:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shek

How many CT scan machines per capita do you think there are in Cuba compared to the US? I don't have the answer, but I strongly suspect that the US is much further ahead in the game.

What about the widespread availability of revolutionary drugs? I guarantee that you're much better off in the US than in Cuba.

So, while you have a valid point in that the figures most likely reflect simple exchange rates as opposed to purchasing power parity, the fact that the US has the income and therefore the access to the latest and greatest technologies in medicine will account for most of the difference. As they say, you get what you pay for.

Shek,

I don't think a greater per capita availability of machines necessarily translates to greater medical access. I agree that there is probably a cut off below which access drastically drops but I'd say the statistic in this case atleast wouldn't get us anything. Here is an example: An expensive hospital in the US is likely to have an MRI machine, an open MRI and maybe an fMRI machine. The later two have specialized applications which are not routinely used. So while Cuba may have MRI machines in two remote places improving access they still won't change the no of machines per capita statistic. I'm not saying they do. I'm just pointing out why this statistic is in my opinion flawed.

Too, doctors in the US routinely recommend a battery of tests which are not recommended elsewhere.(I base this on conversations with cousins who are doctors in US, India and the UK. So I can't really back this up with hard evidence. I'll go look for papers on this. Meanwhile I'd be interested to see if any other foreigners working/living in the US have a similar experience) Why? Some of it comes down to fear of malpractice suits. The cost of medical care in the US is exorbitant. It doesn't necessarily reflect the quality of the care.

I don't really know where this argument started, but comparing availability of revolutionary new drugs in the US to anywhere else in the world is unfair. The US has a larger pharmaceutical industry than anywhere else. Access to basic medicine is way more important in the overall scheme of things. How much(relatively) do pills to cure stomache cost? Diarrhea? How about contraceptives? That kind of thing in my opinion is way more important.

dalem · 02-21-2008, 17:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamercube

It is in Cuba. (Especially since you already accounted for the income disparity).

Wow, so Cuba exists in an alternate economic universe.

Neat.

-dale

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02-21-2008, 14:18 PM	#53 (permalink)
gamercube Contributor Join Date: 11-20-06 Location: Barbados Posts: 696 Country:	Great. But since you've lived in Canada, you already know the benefits of free healthcare.

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