interesting clinical findings in these kids more so than I had – experience of before! Despite their obvious clinical excellence, I was shocked by the hygiene standards on the wards there were posters about – effective hand washing and how to stop the spread of TB yet no soap by the patients’ sinks and horrific toilets. My GP experience was fascinating too despite the huge – patient lists for per GP and nurse and frankly no order when it came to making and turning up for appointments, the patients had the utmost respect for their GP and often showered them in gifts as they were aware how little they earned compared to their workload. Also every patient was very keen to have their blood pressure checked with each appointment some even bringing their own kit! – I liked how the GP did at least an annual home visit to every patient to make sure they were coping and also check home conditions were suitable for their children. In Old Havana, there is a lot of overcrowding and damp housing so this brought about and aggravated many respiratory problems. Overall I was impressed with how much knowledge the Cuban doctors have about medical problems and how important clinical skills are with the lack of technology and medical equipment we take for granted. They have learnt to be resourceful in every way, including exporting their medical knowledge around the world and making their own medicines, all of which was amazing to experience. They were all so kind to invite me back to work with them (I doubt I would be needed as Cuban doctors are numerous!) However I do hope to go back in 5-10 years to see how the relaxation of the embargo has affected their healthcare – hopefully for the better.
interesting clinical findings in these kids – more so than I had experience of before! Despite their obvious clinical excellence, I was shocked by the hygiene standards on the wards – there were posters about effective hand washing and how to stop the spread of TB yet no soap by the patients’ sinks and horrific toilets. My GP experience was fascinating too – despite the huge patient lists for per GP and nurse and frankly no order when it came to making and turning up for appointments, the patients had the utmost respect for their GP and often showered them in gifts as they were aware how little they earned compared to their workload. Also every patient was very keen to have their blood pressure checked with each appointment – some even bringing their own kit! I liked how the GP did at least an annual home visit to every patient to make sure they were coping and also check home conditions were suitable for their children. In Old Havana, there is a lot of overcrowding and damp housing so this brought about and aggravated many respiratory problems. Overall I was impressed with how much knowledge the Cuban doctors have about medical problems and how important clinical skills are with the lack of technology and medical equipment we take for granted. They have learnt to be resourceful in every way, including exporting their medical knowledge around the world and making their own medicines, all of which was amazing to experience. They were all so kind to invite me back to work with them (I doubt I would be needed as Cuban doctors are numerous!) However I do hope to go back in 5-10 years to see how the relaxation of the embargo has affected their healthcare – hopefully for the better.
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