The Other View

Issue No.1 Summer 2000

Fidel Among The Dreary Spires?

By Tommy Mc Kearney

There is a fine hospital in Dungannon. Built in the early 1960,s "The South Tyrone" is staffed by friendly, well-trained people. Francie Molloy, Sinn Fein MLA and Ken Maginnis, Official Unionist MLA are, for once, in absolute accord that the area is well served by the institution and that it should remain open as a vital asset in the region. The overwhelming majority of people in the hospital's catchment area share the politicians' view.

Unfortunately for the inhabitants of the area, those folk with control of the health service have decided first to reduce the hospital's capacity and eventually close it completely. In pursuit of rationalisation and economies of scale, Dungannon is to have another empty building.

The real extent of this anomaly only stuck home to me very recently. My Uncle Pat was taken ill in mid-December and try as he might, his local GP could only obtain a bed for the old man in Daisy Hill Hospital, Newry. The County Down hospital is, let me say from the outset, an excellent establishment with an exemplary staff. In contrast to the nearby Dungannon though, it is a long and disheartening 28 miles from my uncle's home and family in The Moy. And any lingering doubts I had about the need to retain the South Tyrone facility were dispelled on Christmas night after driving my elderly mother and ailing father to Newry for a visit with Pat.

It was with these thoughts in the back of my mind that I began to read of the controversy surrounding the case of a young Cuban boy, Elian Gonzales. The child was found floating in the sea off Florida by US coastguards after his mother had died in a shipwreck while attempting to take them both to the USA in a small boat. Elian's father, who remained in Cuba, is demanding that his son be returned to him while US authorities are reluctant to accede to this request.

Much has been written about Cuba as a consequence of this argument. Some of what was published was purely anti-Castro invective but other interesting facts have emerged. Intriguingly, a lot of the best reports coming from Cuba relates to its comprehensive health care provision.

Ken Livingstone recently wrote in the Independent:

"Life expectancy under Castro has increased from 59 years in 1958 to 75 years today. Infant mortality has declined from sixty children per thousand to just seven today. Not only are these figures comparable to Britain's, they are dramatically better than in America's urban ghettos. As Frank Dobson struggles to recruit new doctors to provide a full range of health care, Cuba has the highest number of doctors per head of population in the world."

These achievements are remarkable in the light of a US enforced embargo on all trade - including medicine - with Cuba. Moreover, since the end of the old Soviet regimes in Eastern Europe, Castro has been force to dramatically reorganise his economy in order to cope without the assistance once provided by Moscow.

Despite the recently announced huge injection of funding for the NHS, there remains a doubt in my mind about the future of the service. Those who have run down some excellent facilities are still suspect. Indeed, if the Assembly is ever restored, it might just be worthwhile asking Fidel to run for a seat in Fermanagh/S.Tyrone.

Back to Contents