Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence on Cuba's Primary Health Care

Many scholars have lauded the Cuban primary health care system because the country has demonstrated a remarkable success in providing access to and improving the health of its population under punishing economic circumstances. While much of the evidence supporting this view has relied on quantitative research, more recent research with ethnographic components offers alternative perspectives of the Cuban health experience. The purpose of this capstone is to determine the extent to which there may be dissonance between quantitative and qualitative research. A review of the published literature reveals challenges for both patients and health workers. Issues discussed include the informal economy for health, diminishing income for physicians, constraints for patients, and medical internationalism. This capstone concludes that Cuba‘s primary health care system has been largely successful in meeting the health care needs of its population.