Richard Quint, M.D. provides indepth analysis of Cuba's healthcare system

The talk was part of an August 18 event "Cuban vs US Healthcare" put on by the California Universal Health Care Organizing Project as part of the organizing campaign around SB840, Senator Shiela Kuel's "California Universal Healthcare Act".

The World Health Organization has ranked Cuba as #39 in healthcare quality and the U.S. #37. Cuba spends $251 annually per person and covers everyone without any out-of-pocket costs. The U.S. spends a continually escalating $7,092 per person and currently has between 44 and 48 million people uninsured. Other objective factors are similar between the two countries. The event provided information on how Cuba can do as well and better than the U.S. with so few resources to utilize.

In the early 90's, during an economic crisis caused by withrawn Soviet Union funding and the tightened U.S. embargo, Cuba instituted a natural health care system along with its traditional top-down system as a way to provide more cost-effective healthcare. Included in his talk, Quint discusses how since that time Cuba has utilized an eclectic mix of natural care, including Chinese medicine, to improve the system of care. When I visited earlier this century, the natural medicine clinics were providing same day appointments offering a menu of natural choices free of charge to all citizens. At that time, they were also deploying teams of mental health workers to communities to develop natural community supports to improve that underdeveloped part of their healthcare system. Don Bechler presents Dr. Quint. (35 minutes)