The Future of Health Care in a Post-Castro Cuba

The Future of Health Care in a Post-Castro Cuba
2006-10-05
Steven G. Ullmann

Prepared for the Cuba Transition Project (CTP) Institute for Cuban and
Cuban-American Studies University of Miami
Executive Summary

The health care system in Cuba has long been a focus of the Castro
regime. A system that has gone through several significant metamorphoses
over the decades, a result of both external and internal factors, it
has, nonetheless, been touted as one of the few successes of Castro's
46-year reign.

One future change affecting the system is inevitable and critical: the
passage of power out of Fidel Castro's hands. With health care a
mainstay of the Castro revolution, it will be critical for the future of
Cuba to evaluate how this significant social institution will be
affected. A thorough evaluation of Cuba's health care will also provide
useful data for policymakers.

In order to understand the future of health care in Cuba and how it may
be affected by change, one must examine past trends as well as potential
political scenarios that may arise. A number of expected situations and
policy implications will arise in a post-Castro Cuba, based on an
understanding of historical trends and expected future scenarios.

Following are some recommendations for a Cuba in transition:

The whole work at the CTP's homepage.
http://ctp.iccas.miami.edu/Research_Studies/StevenUllman.pdf

http://www.miscelaneasdecuba.net/web/article.asp?artID=7180