One of our friends got sick while we were in Havana. Of course, your first though is acute gastroenteritis. You don't immediately think, this must be ruptured appendicitis?! I cannot comment completely on the situation as I was not personally sick. But here are some general observations of the Cuban medical system. Linked below is our friend's video on the experience. We are thankful that he is home and safe despite the physical and emotional trials that he sustained.
- When you think of Cuba, everyone says, they have good doctors and good training, right? Yes, they probably do have good education and experienced surgeons. What Cuba lacks, and not just in medical supplies, is general resources. Perhaps they have decently trained doctors, but they do not have enough IV fluids, antibiotics or even critical code drugs for their tourists, let alone Cuban nationals.
- There is no pain medication. For a price, there may be a single dose available, but in general there is no narcotic medication. It seems that Cuba does not suffer from the same narcotic addiction problem that the US has. However, in the acute setting, this is unfortunate for surgical and trauma patients. There probably should be a happy medium somewhere in between.
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