A Classic of Cuban Socialism / Laritza Diversent

A self-employed complained of sales in the hospitals, in the island’s only national newspaper. He received a response from the public administration with the taken to eliminate the situation. However, the government didn’t mention that there had violation of law nor did it question those responsible.

“Those escorting and visiting patients find it difficult to converse with their relatives or friends who are hospitalized, because in every cubicle vendors are hawking chocolate chip cookies, soda crackers, soft drinks, sweets and candied, napkins, bread with ham and cheese, it’s a big marketplace during visiting hours.

The comment was published on March 25, in he Letters to the Editor of the newspaper Granma, under the authorship of L. Alvarez Padrón. “It’s a situation we can not afford,” said the Provincial Health Directorate of the capital, this May 27, in their own section of the press organ of the Communist Party.

According to the response, starting from the analysis of the approaches in the Alvarex Padron’s letter by the hospital directors and staff working groups, a program of actions was undertaken including measures for the workers to confront the situation.

However, since 1994, the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), in order to limit vendor access to health centers, especially maternal and pediatric hospitals, prohibited, through Resolution No. 58 of that year, “sales of any kind, especially food, in particular in the aforementioned centers and their surrounding areas. ”

According to the response of Dr. Alfredo Lorenzo Gonzales, highest representative of the health sector in the province of Havana, the responsibility to prevent such practice was assigned to the heads of services, rooms, departments and each employee of the center.

However, the standard approved by the Ministry of Public Health in 1994, states that the people directly responsible for the fulfillment of its mandate, are the deputies serving the areas of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical Assistance and Protection as well as the Ministry of the Interior, the One System of Monitoring and Protection, the directors of Ministry of Public Health of provincial government Health departments.

None of these government representatives acknowledged their incompetence. On the contrary, the placed their responsibilities on the workers. Thus, the State chain of command state always breaks at the last link. A classic of Cuban socialism.

August 11 2011