(6/12) Health Around the World



Monday morning started off with the usual Spanish classes. Had my first doblada today! Will be getting more of these fried pockets of gold in the future for sure. After Spanish class our next activity was watching documentaries on health around the world. The first documentary was about the incredibly successful public health system in Cuba, despite the prevalence of poverty in the country. It was so fascinating to see how resourceful and effective the health system was in Cuba. There was an abundance of doctors, and the interaction between the doctor and patient was very personalized, with doctors living in every community in close contact with their patients. The documentary also talked about the lack of doctors in rural areas, and as a result these areas do not get the adequate level of health care they deserve. As someone who aspires to become a doctor, I always told my parents I want to go to medical school in the city and become a doctor in the city, avoiding rural areas. I never realized the consequences of my adamant preference for urban life, and this documentary really made me more conscious about pursuing a career in health. The second documentary we watched was about health insurance systems of different countries, including Britain, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan. The state of the health system in the US (or the lack thereof) is just ridiculous and terrible, so it was interesting to see characteristics of generally more successful health systems. I never imagined that other countries would have the opposite problem as the US - in Japan and other countries, patients are paying too little and doctors/hospitals aren't receiving enough. Health policy always confuses me, so it was really insightful to watch these documentaries and discuss them afterwards. 
One of my favorite lunches at home: hot bowl of soup!

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