Having a major hospital in a central >location for every major urban area is a >good planning idea.
Funny... that's exactly what the Mayor of Havana told me in my briefing tour. You should see how well it's working there...
Lowest infant mortality rate in Latin America (4.76/1000)? Actually change that, it's the lowest in North and South America (Canada's (4.78), the United States (5.9). (CIA World Factbook, 2012) Third highest life expectancy in Latin America (78.29 years), and comparable with the United States (78.57) and Canada (80.50). (World Health Organisation, 2011) Highest number of physicians per capita in the world (6.7 per 1000)? (United States, 2.4, Canada 2.1) (World Bank, 2012) Not bad for a country that has a GDP per capita of a mere $10,200 USD. When ranked according to HDI, Cuba was 51st out of 182 with an HDI of 0.863. Its GDP per capita only places it 95th. It's important for an economy to have wealth resources. It's also very important to work out how they are allocated. None of this, of course, should be seen a defense of the Cuban political or economic system. It is an indication however that *some* things work very well with public expenditure and public planning. *Much* of health is an example. *Much* of town planning is another. And, to get this back on topic, *some* of the mass media is as well. -- Lev Lafayette, mobile: 61 432 255 208 http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt