Increase in Medical Tension – or in Medical Attention

Increase in Medical Tension – or in Medical Attention / Hablemos Press,
Eduardo Herrera Duran
Posted on August 3, 2015

Hablemos Press, Eduardo Herrera Duran, Havana, 1 August 2015 – News
media inside and outside of Cuba highlight the functioning of the
Island's health care system. They consider it exemplary, and even
compare with developed countries.

Many of my medical colleagues and I have been discussing the condition
of medical care in recent years. The majority of us agree that it has
been deteriorating for more than 20 years. Contrary to what the Cuban
state communicates.

The lack of professional, technical and service personnel in the public
health centers – something that militates against good care – is
evident. At the wards that receive a great number of patients, often one
can find only one nurse – even in intensive care units, where the ratio
should be one nurse per patient. In general, each nurse is tending to
two or three very gravely ill patients at a time.

Nor can we find nurse assistants, nor cleaning staff; in the best of
cases, these are not sufficient to the task. All of which causes the
hygiene in the various departments to not be what it should be in a
center for treating the sick.

The number of physicians has been gradually diminishing because of their
recruitment for the so-called "missions," which generate juicy revenues
for the government. All of which increases the number of patients for
each doctor to see, which adversely impacts the quality of care.

To all this, let us add the shortages of necessary medications, supplies
and equipment that we do not have on hand when we are treating patients.
This affects not only the patients and their families, but also the
public health personnel who find themselves unable to provide good service.

Insufficient compensation, the high cost of living, and increased demand
in the country have also influenced the health care sector, which is
among the most essential for maintaining the well-being of our citizens.

Unquestionably, these factors have influenced the sector's
deterioration. Officials from the Public Health Ministry, during their
scheduled visits to the health care centers, see only what they want to
see, and do not reflect the reality of what is occurring in their
reports to the citizenry. They say that although there are fewer health
care centers, medical care has increased in quality.

Referring to what the Public Health Minister said in the most recent
meeting of the National Assembly of the People's Power, one of the
physicians, with whom I conversed, Dr. Dayte, said (with humor despite
the adversity we face), "Possibly, when they refer to medical attention,
there is some misunderstanding, and it is really medical tension that
has increased."

Translated by: Alicia Barraqué Ellison

Source: Increase in Medical Tension – or in Medical Attention / Hablemos
Press, Eduardo Herrera Duran | Translating Cuba -
http://translatingcuba.com/increase-in-medical-tension-or-in-medical-attention-hablemos-press-eduardo-herrera-duran/