Cuban Mythology

It isn't about gods up in the heavens or launching a thousand ships because of beauty or being turned into stone by some woman with snakes growing from her head. It's about Castro's lauded healthcare. It's a myth, existing only in some people's imaginations.

HAVANA, April 6 (Anna Rosa Veitía / Cubanet) - An increasing number of cases of pneumonia have been reported in Havana during March and April, mostly among children.

Fabio Lloren's mother said she had to scrounge among friends and family for
56 US dollars in order to buy prescribed medicine, since it wasn't available in the peso pharmacies.

She said: "The doctor at the pediatric center simply waved her hand and said, 'That can be cured over there,' meaning the United States. After I procured the medicine, Fabio, 14, looks better but is still very weak."

Débora Salazar said: "I took my four-year-old to the hospital in Marianao, and they admitted him, but only to give him intravenous dextrose until the medicine can be obtained."

Several children between the ages of four and 15 were admitted to hospitals in central Havana, Marianao, and El Cerro areas of the city, after being diagnosed with pneumonia.

Of course, the reality is that if you're a tourist you can get all the medicine you want. Or if you're a Cuban with cash, - U.S. dollars.

Posted by Val Prieto at April 8, 2004 06:26 AM