THE POLITICS OF SUFFERING - THE IMPACT OF THE US EMBARGO ON THE HEALTH OF THE CUBAN PEOPLE - REPORT OF A FACT-FINDING TRIP TO CUBA, JUNE 6-11, 1993

The past several years have been difficult for the Cuban people. The e conomies of Cuba's major trading partners have collapsed. The 33-year U.S. embargo was tightened with passage of ''The Cuban Democracy Act o f 1992'' to include trade-mostly in food and medicines-by subsidiaries of U.S. companies in other countries. The March 1993 ''Storm of the C entury,'' which devastated communities from the Caribbean to Canada, c aused an estimated $1 billion in damage to Cuba. A mysterious disease known as neuropathy, which can affect vision, appeared in late 1991 an d has spread throughout the island. All this has created a situation o f scarcity and uncertainty that has affected ail aspects of Cuban soci ety, including its health care system. In June 1993 a delegation that included members of the American Public Health Association traveled to Cuba to investigate the current health situation in the country, with an emphasis on the impact of the U.S. embargo. The delegation found t hat compared to two and three years ago, the general standard of livin g in Cuba and the quality of health services have declined dramaticall y. It concluded that while the overall health of the Cuban population has not yet seriously eroded as a result of the economic decline, seve re problems threaten to emerge in the future. The delegation called fo r lifting of the embargo as part of a new approach in U.S. policy towa rd Cuba.