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Growing Older Cuban Style . Dr Una Lynch. GATE meeting Belfast 30th October 2012. una@sonrisa-solutions.com. Critical junctures in history Health statistics Cuba’s approach to ageing . Independence . “ Only death can liberate one from so much misery. In this however, early death,
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Growing Older Cuban Style Dr Una Lynch GATE meeting Belfast 30th October 2012 una@sonrisa-solutions.com
Critical junctures in history Health statistics Cuba’s approach to ageing
“Only death can liberate one from so much misery. In this however, early death, the State is most helpful. 90% of rural children are consumed by parasites, which filter through their bare feet from the earth. Society is moved to compassion upon hearing of the kidnapping or murder of one child, but is criminally indifferent to the mass murder of so many thousands of children, who die every year, from lack of facilities, agonizing with pain. [Fidel Castro, 1953] … Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me”
1990s - Collapse of the socialist block “Castro looked like an isolated dinosaur, left stranded by the tide of history. Most outside observers expected his end to come in months rather than years.” (Coltman, 2003:267)
“by the late 80s all the Western European countries had higher life expectancy than every Eastern European country.” (Wilkinson, 2005:114)
Infant Mortality Rate Source WHO, 2012; *NISRA, 2010
Life expectancy & percentage of population aged 60yrs+ Source: World Health Report, (WHO, 2010); ***NI data (>65yrs) Source NISRA 2010
Expenditure on Health Source: World Health Statistics, (WHO, 2012)
Expenditure on Health Source: World Health Statistics, (WHO, 2012)
“Umbrellas Repaired” “Umbrellas Recovered”
“Public Health has to with … all the problems which, in whatever way, affect the health of the population. If we were to view it simply as the Ministry of Health it would basically be representing the curative service. As the doctrine of the revolution is prevention or rather promotion, prevention and protection of health, if we were to call it only the Ministry of Health it would mean that most important functions would be outside of the Ministry, and for that reason it is public health, because the focus is prevention.” [Dr Edwardo Zacca Peňa, Director Statistics Ministry of Public Health Cuba]
Equity “The extent of real inequality of opportunities that people face cannot be readily deduced from the magnitude of inequality of incomes, since what we can or cannot do, can or cannot achieve, do not depend just on our incomes but also on the variety of physical and social characteristics that affect our lives and make us what we are.” (Sen, A 1995:28)
“How long this present order, based on an absurd idea of caste, will last I can’t say, but it’s time governments spent less time publicizing their own virtues and more money, much more money, funding socially useful projects.” Dr Ernesto (Che)Guevara, 1952: Motorcycle diaries 51-52
Sláinte agus Easláinte • http://www.belowtheradar.tv/SainteAgusEaslainteProg01.html
