From the University of Penn – Warton School of Medicine –
“Given its proximity to the U.S., where there is a shortage of Spanish-speaking primary care physicians and nurses, Cuba makes sense as a training ground and reservoir of medical professionals, notes Ullmann, who is co-author of the book, Cuban Health Care: Utopian Dreams, Fragile Future. He points to Cuba’s focus on preventative care and its decentralized system of doctors (58.2 per 1,000 people), who are based in each neighborhood and are responsible for their immediate communities, as the recipe for the country’s low infant mortality rate (4.2 deaths per 1,000 live births) and relatively high life expectancy of 78.6 years. At the same time, Ullmann notes that Cuba is a recipient of humanitarian aid in the form of medications and basic medical supplies and equipment from European donors and U.S.-based support groups.”
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