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How reliable are the Cuban statistics?

• danlugo92 8y ago
  Not reliable at all.
• manfredo 8y ago
  Regardless of reliability it's important to mention that mortality rates isn't the be all end all of healthcare quality. Many people contrasting Cuban mortality and life expectancy statistics against the US have a political axd to grind, and they fail to mention key nuances. Chief among them, the fact that it's drastically easier to curb obesity when the government rations food.
  • mdpye 8y ago
    The government provides a ration, you can buy more food. I'm not saying food in Cuba was available in the same kind of quantities and choices as in the states, but portions were almost on par (which is to say, enough to floor a European for several hours after a meal!) The article even states that the primary weight problem faced in Cuba is over, not underweight people.
    • manfredo 8y ago
      Buy more food with what money? Average wage is $18-20 a month from 2008 to 20015, as per some quick googling. Even if we trust the Cuban government's states wage, that's still $25 per month. Some make more on the black market, but for the most part the government rations dictates your diet. Apparently wages have risen after slightly more normalized relations with the US and greater tolerance of private enterprise on behalf of the Cuban administration, but it's still pretty poor. I come from a family of Cuban immigrants, and have some distant relatives still in Cuba. Some of my family has visited over the last few years. It's a tacit understanding that the visiting relatives will bring money or valuables to sell on the black market to help pay for the feast that Cubans will inevitably throw for visiting relatives, because otherwise several months worth of income will be spent on food (which would only cost maybe a few days wages for the person coming from abroad).