In a piece of propaganda that would make Cuba's Castro regime proud, on
her Tuesday MSNBC program, NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent
Andrea Mitchell cheered the communist state's "highly reg
arded" health care system, "and especially one of Fidel Castro's signature projects, which is training doctors, doctors who then provide free medical care throughout Latin America."
Mitchell proclaimed: "As the U.S. debates health care....We went back
to the Latin American medical school here to talk to American medical
students about what they're learning about medicine, about Cuba, and
about themselves." That soon became disturbingly apparent as student
Cynthia Aguilera gushed: "...after graduating with no debt, no worries
about paying off loans and having to get a high-paying job, we can return to our communities [in the U.S.] and work in them and try to uplift them the same way that Cuba uplifted us."
Fellow
medical student Heather Ross declared: "...usually when you enter
medical school they tell you, 'Okay, we hope you can hold on to your
ideals.' Here they actually teach you ideals from day one, in
hopes that you will be a physician who will go into you're community and
become a leader as well as change agent for improving your community."
Marissa Robinson enthusiastically announced: "I've always wanted to
come to this country because of, you know, being from America, being
American, it's somewhat taboo. It's something we're not familiar with.
So, I've always wanted to come here and then what really intrigued me was the fact that Cuba produces excellent doctors."
Following the fawning testimonials from the American students, Mitchell happily turned to long-time Cuban-American communist sympathizer and activist [1] Gail Reed, simply introducing her as the international director of the nonprofit group Medical Education Cooperation.
Mitchell lead with this incredibly slanted question on the Cuban health
system: "What do you see as the advantages of the Cuban system, the low
infant mortality rate, for instance, which is legendary around the
world, but also the gaps that you're trying to – trying to fill?"
Reed recited Communist Party talking points perfectly: "...what they've
done in health care here wasn't built in a day. It was built over the
last 50 years. It was built with a public policy of emphasizing health
care for all. So today you really do have universal health care, free."
Reed continued to sing the praises of the socialized medical care:
"They still make house calls in Cuba. And so it's something that is
built over time and has given them outcomes very comparable to those in
the states in Canada. As you mentioned, low infant mortality. Women in
Cuba are living to over 80 years old now, a bit more than men, at 76."
Mitchell briefly feigned balance, observing: "It's not without its
problems. There are other problems here." However, she then blamed the
U.S. trade embargo for those problems: "We shouldn't under-emphasize the
infrastructure problems, the impact of the embargo."
She could barely contain how impressed she was with Cuba's medical
labs: "Fidel Castro once showed me the laboratories when they were
briefly controversial, there was an erroneous claim that they were
biomedical weaponry, and he showed, you know, that they were basically
making antibiotics under American contracts....It was quite amazing."
Reed added that Mitchell "got into the inner-sanctum to see what was
going on."
After Mitchell brought up shortages in those medications, Reed
acknowledged: "Yes, there are shortages and I would say there's a few
different kinds of problems." She added: "And right now, the emphasis is
really trying to make this health system more sustainable." Mitchell
concluded: "And work the way it has been envisioned."
Here are portions of the March 27 segment:
1:38PM ET
ANDREA MITCHELL: Cuba is highly regarded for its health care, and
especially one of Fidel Castro's signature projects, which is training
doctors, doctors who then provide free medical care throughout Latin
America. During one of my many past visits to Cuba, Fidel Castro took me
on a tour of the medical school to meet the first class of young
doctors in training. Now a decade later the school has graduated almost
10,000 doctors. Last year's class included 19 Americans, among students
from 22 countries. As the U.S. debates health care, today we thought it
would be good to take a look back to the schools. We went back to the
Latin American medical school here to talk to American medical students
about what they're learning about medicine, about Cuba, and about
themselves.
CYNTHIA AGUILERA [LOS ANGELES, CA]: The idea is that we come from
under-represented and under-served communities and that after graduating
with no debt, no worries about paying off loans and having to get a
high-paying job, we can return to our communities and work in them and
try to uplift them the same way that Cuba uplifted us.
HEATHER ROSS [BLAKELY, GA]: I wanted to go into a program that would
permit me or train me to become the type of doctor that I wanted to be,
versus having ideal – usually when you enter medical school they tell
you, "Okay, we hope you can hold on to your ideals." Here they actually
teach you ideals from day one, in hopes that you will be a physician who
will go into you're community and become a leader as well as change
agent for improving your community.
(...)
MARISSA ROBINSON [PITTSBURGH, PA]: I've always wanted to come to this
country because of, you know, being from America, being American, it's
somewhat taboo. It's something we're not familiar with. So, I've always
wanted to come here and then what really intrigued me was the fact that
Cuba produces excellent doctors. And then also, this curriculum is in
Spanish and I've always wanted to learn Spanish, so I'm doing all of
that.
(...)
MITCHELL:
And joining me now is Gail Reed, the international director of a
nonprofit based in Atlanta, the Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba.
Working to bridge Cuban and American medical treatments. Thanks so
much, Gail. Great to have you here.
GAIL REED: Thank you.
MITCHELL: We're seeing this debate in our country about universal
health care, the mandate, the Supreme Court arguments today. We have
universal coverage here. Of course it's a very different society and an
economic model that would not work in the United States. What do you see
as the advantages of the Cuban system, the low infant mortality rate,
for instance, which is legendary around the world, but also the gaps
that you're trying to – trying to fill?
GAIL REED: I was struck by what one of the medical students said about
having so little and building up to more, because obviously what they've
done in health care here wasn't built in a day. It was built over the
last 50 years. It was built with a public policy of emphasizing health
care for all. So today you really do have universal health care, free.
It is also a system that emphasizes very much prevention built on
primary care clinics, doctors and nurses, sort of dotting the country,
and they have worked very hard in that area, which I think has economic
implications when you're trying to health on a shoestring, prevention's
very important. You avoid those big-ticket items, at least in the first
round. And the other thing is, it's back to basics. It really is. The
doctor and nurse are in the community. They make house calls. There's no
middle man.
MITCHELL: House calls?
REED: Like I remember in the '50s when I was a kid we used to get house
calls from our pediatricians. They still make house calls in Cuba. And
so it's something that is built over time and has given them outcomes
very comparable to those in the states in Canada. As you mentioned, low
infant mortality. Women in Cuba are living to over 80 years old now, a
bit more than men, at 76. And prevention is the name of the game in
terms of the vaccines, in terms of health education, and of course it's
not without its problems.
MITCHELL: It's not without its problems. There are other problems here.
We shouldn't under-emphasize the infrastructure problems, the impact of
the embargo. What do you try to do in bringing in doctors who train
here, do they teach? Do you also deal with vaccines and other supplies,
although Cuba has a very – Fidel Castro once showed me the laboratories
when they were briefly controversial, there was an erroneous claim that
they were biomedical weaponry, and he showed, you know, that they were
basically making antibiotics under American contracts...
REED: You got into the inner-sanctum to see what was going on.
MITCHELL: It was quite amazing. But there are shortages, clearly.
REED: Yes, there are shortages and I would say there's a few different
kinds of problems. One kind of problem is very similar to what we face
in the States, which are chronic diseases the kind of diseases, heart
disease, hypertension, cancer, the obesity that causes it. And then
there's infrastructure problems that come from years of economic
problems in the '90s. Some of the hospitals need repair. The salaries
are not what they should be. And of course, you know, I would say you do
have to take your own bed sheets in some of the hospitals even though
you can get a heart transplant for free. So they weigh these things. And
right now, the emphasis is really trying to make this health system
more sustainable.
MITCHELL: And work the way it has been envisioned. Gail Reed, thank you so much for joining us today.
REED: You're welcome, I'm – with pleasure.
MITCHELL: Great insight and it's good to see you. And we'll be right
back with a special edition of Andrea Mitchell Reports, live from
Havana.
-- Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. Click here [2] to follow Kyle Drennen on Twitter.