The Politics of Suffering: The Impact of the U.S. Embargo on the Health of the Cuban People

The past several years have been difficult for the Cuban people. The economies of Cuba's major trading partners have collapsed. The 33-year U.S. embargo was tightened with passage of “The Cuban Democracy Act of 1992” to include trade—mostly in food and medicines—by subsidiaries of U.S. companies in other countries. The March 1993 “Storm of the Century,” which devastated communities from the Caribbean to Canada, caused an estimated $1 billion in damage to Cuba. A mysterious disease known as neuropathy, which can affect vision, appeared in late 1991 and has spread throughout the island. All this has created a situation of scarcity and uncertainty that has affected all aspects of Cuban society, including its health care system. In June 1993 a delegation that included members of the American Public Health Association traveled to Cuba to investigate the current health situation in the country, with an emphasis on the impact of the U.S. embargo. The delegation found that compared to two and three years ago, the general standard of living in Cuba and the quality of health services have declined dramatically. It concluded that while the overall health of the Cuban population has not yet seriously eroded as a result of the economic decline, severe problems threaten to emerge in the future. The delegation called for lifting of the embargo as part of a new approach in U.S. policy toward Cuba.