tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post5783150528645675709..comments2024-01-23T17:14:04.067-05:00Comments on Jaltcoh: Rwanda has nearly universal health care.John Althouse Cohenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11703450281424023177noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-79052140084184515842010-06-15T23:16:19.470-04:002010-06-15T23:16:19.470-04:00The annual premium is only $2, but the system is p...<i>The annual premium is only $2, but the system is propped up by foreign charities.<br /><br /></i>Our public healthcare system is propped up by China. If only we could get them to donate the money instead of expecting to have it paid back.Jason (the commenter)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16045360562791361484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-90243867252382059842010-06-15T10:22:52.548-04:002010-06-15T10:22:52.548-04:00PS: US$2 in Rwanda = US$211 in US. Per capita inco...PS: US$2 in Rwanda = US$211 in US. Per capita income: $39,000 in US, $370 in Rwanda.Richard Lawrence Cohenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01951947957345891398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4464222071440015933.post-17139077108317864002010-06-15T09:57:34.148-04:002010-06-15T09:57:34.148-04:00Rwandan medical care is limited by the nation'...Rwandan medical care is limited by the nation's overall poverty: they just don't have the money for modern equipment or supplies. However, Rwandans use their clinics and hospitals readily and confidently, and the care is conscientious within the limits of the materials available. (I visited a one-year-old, from my adopted family, who was kept in hospital for five days to treat -- successfully -- a gastric infection; the long stay was deemed important to make sure she received all her antibiotics.) And as the NYT article correctly says, the pharmacies (which in the developing world often take the primary-care role) stock the entire standard pharmacopoeia and dispense advice. Modern medicine, not folk magic, is the first medical recourse for Rwandans, and that's important. The deficiencies are those of poverty across the world, rather than that particular nation. Standard warning: do not have a car accident in Africa!Richard Lawrence Cohenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01951947957345891398noreply@blogger.com