The Cuban Health System: A Trial of a Comprehensive Service in a Poor Country

Abstract

This article reviews Cuban health programs in terms of six goals that seem to have been adopted, explicitly or implicitly, by the administration. Postrevolutionary Cuba has placed a high priority on health, and aims to create a health service that is comprehensive in scope and content, in population covered, and in organizational forms and levels of specialization. Within this service, the Cuban health administration has attempted to apply, with every appearance of success, what is known about the major diseases that affect their society. This health program has also focused on human needs, has tried to measure the effects of its activities, and has responded to evaluation. Some trends in Cuban health patterns are described from available data. With preventable diseases under control, Cuba now faces problems similar to those of developed countries. The new phase will require new approaches, with emphasis on the research techniques of epidemiology and the social sciences to develop and evaluate possible preventive approaches to chronic disease.