With the Left talking a lot about universal healthcare these days, we like to remind you they often sing the praises of the Cuban socialized medicine system.
It's a lie, as we'll show you in a minute, but first here's an American author and so-called journalist sharing her experience with the Cuban healthcare system:
Here's what it was like checking into a hospital in Cuba, as an American. I waited three minutes. A nurse came to greet me. She hugged me and looked me in the eye and asked me if I felt well enough to walk. She wore an old fashioned white paper nurse hat.
— Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, Author (@AlisaValdesRod1) December 6, 2024
It's a long thread, so we'll pick our favorite bits before we obliterate it.
I was then taken to my room. That's was the whole registration process. Not a word about insurance or copay, no signing forms promising to pay if insurance didn't. Nada. Just "Who are you and what hurts," plus free toiletries, including a wand to heat the bathwater.
— Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, Author (@AlisaValdesRod1) December 6, 2024
So no financial responsibility? Not something we'd brag about, but okay.
In addition to examining and testing me, the doctor team invited my family to dinner and asked them about my condition. Had they noticed any changes? How was my diet? Did I have supportive relationships? This is genius. Sick people don't always notice things about themselves.
— Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, Author (@AlisaValdesRod1) December 6, 2024
'Invited my family to dinner.'
Like this happens to the regular Cubans.
To the handful of people commenting things like "you dumbitch, Cubans don't get that same treatment): I block anyone who is abusive. ALSO, there are tons of problems in Cuba. Lots of shortages. True. But I was treated to exactly the same care as the Cuban patients in my room.
— Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, Author (@AlisaValdesRod1) December 6, 2024
Recommended
Do read the entire thread. It really is a phenomenal work of fiction.
Now for the reality.
Another person reached out to a Cuban doctor and asked him about her experience:
I sent Alisa’s thread to a Cuban medical doctor and asked if this experience is common on the island.
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) December 6, 2024
Their response: it’s not. She likely visited a hospital for foreigners, which well-connected Cubans or those with US $ can access.
Here’s what they said…🧵 https://t.co/rAipaHBSUN pic.twitter.com/f4VMH6xuuK
What a shock. Alisa lied, folks.
First things first: who did I consult?
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) December 6, 2024
A Cuban doctor with 15 years of experience and two medical specialties who worked at a hospital for international visitors (like Alisa), where patients pay for care.
Well-connected Cubans / those who “tip” the staff access them too. pic.twitter.com/YYso6YJ1Dw
Someone who actually knows, unlike Alisa, who was just visiting.
She went to an international hospital, which puts on a good front so idiots can pretend the Cuban healthcare system is a good thing.
Alisa won’t say which hospital she visited, but the doctor I consulted believes it was an international facility.
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) December 6, 2024
As the doctor explained, these clinics offer far better conditions than what most Cubans experience, as public healthcare in Cuba has significantly deteriorated. pic.twitter.com/GbElQqR3HL
Conditions in normal Cuban hospitals are deplorable.
According to the doctor I consulted, the stress test Alisa mentions is atypical for Cuban hospitals, as such tests are usually conducted privately in specialized rooms by medical staff only. pic.twitter.com/beuZS5RRGA
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) December 6, 2024
'Atypical' is the theme of Alisa's thread.
What Alisa doesn’t realize is that the “team of doctors” she describes were likely interns. In Cuba, morning rounds are a training exercise where doctors, nurses, and residents “debate” diagnoses at the bedside. It’s educational, not a unique patient care approach. pic.twitter.com/r53OU7GoUR
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) December 6, 2024
Poor Alisa. She thought she was special.
According to the doctor I consulted, Cuban doctors sometimes meet with a patient’s family to gather information the patient can’t provide—but this happens in a medical office, not over dinner. The idea of doctors dining with families falls outside the professional norm. pic.twitter.com/bdInwc0koF
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) December 6, 2024
So she lied some more.
In fairness, the doctor acknowledges the point about the warmth of the doctor-patient relationship in Cuba. However, as the doctor explains, this is more a reflection of Cuban culture, which is known for being friendly across all areas of life, not just in healthcare. pic.twitter.com/H1iHiqvyAT
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) December 6, 2024
Alisa would probably scream about sexual assault if an American doctor tried to hug her.
I’m sharing this to help separate fact from fiction about Cuba. Yes, healthcare is free and generally okay for basics like colds. But for specialized care, it’s severely lacking to put it mildly.
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) December 6, 2024
This photo is from a major OBGYN clinic in Havana—where gloves are reused. pic.twitter.com/MrnmtZ49Ac
How sanitary.
Not.
Most Cubans don’t get the experience Alisa described. That’s why there’s an entire industry in Miami dedicated to shipping basic medical supplies there.
— Giancarlo Sopo (@GiancarloSopo) December 6, 2024
If @AlisaValdesRod1 were less defensive, she’d engage in this important discussion rather than dismiss it. pic.twitter.com/1NvRsl0nf0
She has no interest in discussion. Just an agenda.
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