CNN reports USS Comfort, US Navy, to give free medical services to Caribbean Nations.

[cyclezealot]

In an attempt to counter Fidel Castro's free medical services by Cuban doctors to surrounding countries, The U. S. Navy is stopping at major ports and allowing for medical services among st the local populations. The 'U.S. Comfort,' is a hospital ship used for civilian purposes. Nothing against this good will gesture, but would it be out of the way for the US ship to stop at New Orleans. After all , many equate New Orleans to a third world country.
Castro says the Cuban effort is far more effective than the one US effort because their clinics are permanent, while the US is only a one time only stop.

[gateley]

1. That was my first thought, too. And while they're at it, swing by a few more

of America's port cities -- there are deserving people in every one of them.

[BulletproofLandshark]

2. To think how far we've fallen...

Now we're resorting to trying to show up Castro in an attempt to look less like the bad guys. Nonetheless, it's definitely a positive thing for the Comfort to help these needy people out. Now if they only had the green light to help people out on our own shores.

[tkmorris]

3. Hey, y'all think you could anchor in Ft Lauderdale?

We could use some services around these parts as well.

[Phrogman]

4. Castro's right again, by gum.

e0m

[aquart]

5. Latin America is kicking sand in our anemic faces.

[Rydz777]

6. How many Caribbean doctors and nurses have we imported

into our own country to serve our own needs? I've long wondered whether draining third-world countries of their medical personnel to staff our hospitals is not a kind of latter-day imperialism. I've seen figures that as high as a third of our medical personnel are now imports (in Britain it is approaching a half.) Our gain is a loss for the countries of origin.

If we are to truly fix our health care system, we need to go further than just bringing more patients into it. We must increase the supply of medical personnel - not by robbing other countries of theirs but by educating more at home.