In a nation as oil wealthy as Venezuela why would the President go to Cuba for medical attention?

[underpants]

Open question

[madokie]

1. Because Cuba has some of the best doctors in the world

[valerief]

2. Excellent health care. nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. The quality of health care

for primary and general care Cuba has the best health care in Latin America. For some specialized care not so much.

[malaise]

4. Most leaders in our hemisphere head for Cuba for medical

treatment - Cuba has the best health care.

[ImNotTed]

5. Maybe Michael Moore had a point

[The Magistrate]

6. That is Something Cuba Does Very Well, Sir

[Demeter]

7. He probably felt safer there

[Shagbark Hickory]

18. Yeah, I think that's the real reason.

Otherwise, just fly in some of those cuban doctors.

[EFerrari]

8. He didn't go to Cuba for treatment, although, there's nothing wrong with that.

He was there when he got sick.

[RC]

9. He probably could not afford our health care.

[jwirr]

15. He couldn't trust our health care. Our esteemed leaders hate him. nt

[rabs]

10. Okay, one more time

Chavez did NOT "go to Cuba for medical attention."

He was on the last leg of a trip to Brasilia, Quito and Havana when his medical emergency was diagnosed, after feeling severe pain when he arrived in Cuba.

He was fortunate that he was able to undergo immediate surgery from the excellent Cuban medical system.

The claim that he went to Cuba expressly for that purpose is distortion by the Venezuelan rightwing opposition and media (including El Nuevo Herald of Miami).

[Liberal Veteran]

11. Surely you jest?

If one is feeling severe pain, one doesn't go to the nearest hospital. One immediately fires up the jet and flies home to be treated in one's own oil rich country.

After all, if you happen to be having a heart attack, it is the worst of bad manners to do so in another country.

:rofl:

[riderinthestorm]

13. Or like Sarah Palin, your water breaks on your high risk pregnancy and you go into labor

In that case, wait 3 hours and then go deliver a speech, bypassing one of the world's best local hospitals on your way, then fly 14 hours by-passing many more of the world's best hospitals, then get in a car for an hour to drive to bum-fuck nowhere to deliver your baby in Wasilla by your general practitioner doctor and not an OB-GYN.

I mean gosh! Chavez has precedent here! It's absurd he decided to get medical attention immediately with some of the world's best doctors! He should have flown straight home for many, many hours in order to be treated at a small, local hospital by his his GP!!

[underpants]

12. Thank you for the clarification

that is what I suspected but a person of that position and means could easily be stabilized and then flown back to his rich oil rich nation.....if he could get better care.


BTW_ I am agreeing with you :hi:

[jwirr]

14. He was in Cuba for a meeting when the problem started. Since Cuba

has hospitals he stayed there rather than fly home.

[applegrove]

16. Socialized health care really works.

[Distant Observer]

17. Cuba has the best overall healt-care services in the region, but there is likely a better specialty

center in the US for the malady that struck President Chavez.

Unfortunately, he probably could not trust getting the best care here given the negative
attitudes that have developed in the past few years.