Let 'Em Die

[Carl in Michigan]

"New York state issued a blanket do-not-resuscitate directive last week instructing first-responders not to try to revive patients without a pulse amid increased call volumes and lack of resources during the coronavirus public health crisis"

“They’re not giving people a second chance to live anymore,’’ Oren Barzilay, the president of Local 2507, Uniformed EMT’s, Paramedics & Fire Inspectors Union, told the Post. “Our job is to bring patients back to life. This guideline takes that away from us.”


"If hospitalized patients infected with the virus begin to go into cardiac arrest, doctors and nurses must first dress in full personal protective equipment before beginning CPR, meaning some patients might die in the interim. Some doctors issue do-not-resuscitate orders for COVID-19 patients on a case to case basis without families signing off but blanket measures for all patients infected with the virus were considered too draconian by ethics professionals in the medical community."

Too 'draconian' for ethics professionals in the medical community perhaps, but we're talking about NEW YORK - forgetabout it.....Cardiac Patients are to be assumed as having COVID-19 by paramedics even if they have not been tested and proven to have the virus.

'F* 'em - Let 'em die!'


My suggestion - Try not to have a heart attack in New York!

New York state rescinds DNR order for cardiac patients amid coronavirus crisis

New York state rescinded a blanket do-not-resuscitate order on Wednesday, that instructed first-responders not to revive patients without a pulse, in an effort to preserve resources during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

www.foxnews.com

DEATH PANELS that he left mocks

 

[bripat9643]

OP is getting fake mad about a process that will happen everywhere medical resources are short. It's going to be even more of a shit sandwich in states that didn't do that much to prepare. Anyone who lives in small communities better hope they don't get it because once rural hospitals get overrun that's your ass.

New York hospitals aren’t even “overrun”.

Trump says coronavirus hospital ship USNS Comfort will leave New York City

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the USNS Comfort, the hospital ship deployed to provide emergency support for health-care workers battling the coronavirus, will depart its station in New York City to get "ready for its next mission."

www.cnbc.com

My county has one 25 bed hospital for about 12,000 people. Rumor has it that they only have one ventilator. How long do you figure it would take them to get overwhelmed? Lots of retired people here and the governor wants to open the beaches for tourists to come and infect us all.

Thats the invisible hand of the free market.
Capitalism is all about survival of the fittest.

It's about survival of the fittest COMPANIES, dumbfuck. You're free to get another job if your employer goes bankrupt.

Leftwingers are so dumb it defies belief.

 

[DOTR]

OP is getting fake mad about a process that will happen everywhere medical resources are short. It's going to be even more of a shit sandwich in states that didn't do that much to prepare. Anyone who lives in small communities better hope they don't get it because once rural hospitals get overrun that's your ass.

New York hospitals aren’t even “overrun”.

Trump says coronavirus hospital ship USNS Comfort will leave New York City

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the USNS Comfort, the hospital ship deployed to provide emergency support for health-care workers battling the coronavirus, will depart its station in New York City to get "ready for its next mission."

www.cnbc.com

My county has one 25 bed hospital for about 12,000 people. Rumor has it that they only have one ventilator. How long do you figure it would take them to get overwhelmed? Lots of retired people here and the governor wants to open the beaches for tourists to come and infect us all.

Thats the invisible hand of the free market.
Capitalism is all about survival of the fittest.

Communist propaganda. While the capitalist countries always had better healthcare than any communist country not to mention leading the world in medical advances.

 

[charwin95]

"New York state issued a blanket do-not-resuscitate directive last week instructing first-responders not to try to revive patients without a pulse amid increased call volumes and lack of resources during the coronavirus public health crisis"

“They’re not giving people a second chance to live anymore,’’ Oren Barzilay, the president of Local 2507, Uniformed EMT’s, Paramedics & Fire Inspectors Union, told the Post. “Our job is to bring patients back to life. This guideline takes that away from us.”


"If hospitalized patients infected with the virus begin to go into cardiac arrest, doctors and nurses must first dress in full personal protective equipment before beginning CPR, meaning some patients might die in the interim. Some doctors issue do-not-resuscitate orders for COVID-19 patients on a case to case basis without families signing off but blanket measures for all patients infected with the virus were considered too draconian by ethics professionals in the medical community."

Too 'draconian' for ethics professionals in the medical community perhaps, but we're talking about NEW YORK - forgetabout it.....Cardiac Patients are to be assumed as having COVID-19 by paramedics even if they have not been tested and proven to have the virus.

'F* 'em - Let 'em die!'


My suggestion - Try not to have a heart attack in New York!

New York state rescinds DNR order for cardiac patients amid coronavirus crisis

New York state rescinded a blanket do-not-resuscitate order on Wednesday, that instructed first-responders not to revive patients without a pulse, in an effort to preserve resources during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

www.foxnews.com

This is the problem when ignorant like you make this crisis worse as it is. PAY ATTENTION.
1. You do NOT give CPR to a dying patients with Coronavirus infections. Not a single stupid nurse or doctors will do that. That is like a suicide. That is the NORMAL practice all over US and around the world that are facing this crisis. Maybe you because you are so smart.

2. If you have CV infections in that level having a cardiac arrest. Your chances of survival is about zero.

3. In a normal situations. Yes the relatives has the final say when to issue DNR. This is a crisis. Doctors will try to save your life even if you are in coma but not when your chances is zero.

4. They are not criminals how you portrayed it that they just let them die.


Trump said it will just go away like flu. Take chloroquine What you got to lose.

.

 

[Dick Foster]

No pulse means you're dead.

Wrong.

I guess kyzr will be in a world of hurt if he ever needs to have surgery on him where they must stop his heart first. They might just say: "Hey! He's dead! **** 'em! Let's go onto the next guy rather than mess with giving him a new heart valve!" Throw the body bag on him and toe tag him. It's getting late.

Why do hospitals even stock those devices to restart your heart?

So they can sell them to people with enough money to buy them, dumbass. Why the hell else do ya think?

 

[bripat9643]

"New York state issued a blanket do-not-resuscitate directive last week instructing first-responders not to try to revive patients without a pulse amid increased call volumes and lack of resources during the coronavirus public health crisis"

“They’re not giving people a second chance to live anymore,’’ Oren Barzilay, the president of Local 2507, Uniformed EMT’s, Paramedics & Fire Inspectors Union, told the Post. “Our job is to bring patients back to life. This guideline takes that away from us.”


"If hospitalized patients infected with the virus begin to go into cardiac arrest, doctors and nurses must first dress in full personal protective equipment before beginning CPR, meaning some patients might die in the interim. Some doctors issue do-not-resuscitate orders for COVID-19 patients on a case to case basis without families signing off but blanket measures for all patients infected with the virus were considered too draconian by ethics professionals in the medical community."

Too 'draconian' for ethics professionals in the medical community perhaps, but we're talking about NEW YORK - forgetabout it.....Cardiac Patients are to be assumed as having COVID-19 by paramedics even if they have not been tested and proven to have the virus.

'F* 'em - Let 'em die!'


My suggestion - Try not to have a heart attack in New York!

New York state rescinds DNR order for cardiac patients amid coronavirus crisis

New York state rescinded a blanket do-not-resuscitate order on Wednesday, that instructed first-responders not to revive patients without a pulse, in an effort to preserve resources during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

www.foxnews.com

This is the problem when ignorant like you make this crisis worse as it is. PAY ATTENTION.
1. You do NOT give CPR to a dying patients with Coronavirus infections. Not a single stupid nurse or doctors will do that. That is like a suicide. That is the NORMAL practice all over US and around the world that are facing this crisis. Maybe you because you are so smart.

They have devices for resuscitating patients, dumbass. You don't have to put your mouth on theirs. In fact, that's never done in a hospital.

2. If you have CV infections in that level having a cardiac arrest. Your chances of survival is about zero.

I suppose you have some documentation for this claim.

3. In a normal situations. Yes the relatives has the final say when to issue DNR. This is a crisis. Doctors will try to save your life even if you are in coma but not when your chances is zero.

Your chances aren't zero, and your relatives don't have the final say if you have a living will

4. They are not criminals how you portrayed it that they just let them die.


Trump said it will just go away like flu. Take chloroquine What you got to lose.

.

99.9% of the time it does just go away. Most people never even notice they have it.

 

[occupied]

OP is getting fake mad about a process that will happen everywhere medical resources are short. It's going to be even more of a shit sandwich in states that didn't do that much to prepare. Anyone who lives in small communities better hope they don't get it because once rural hospitals get overrun that's your ass.

New York hospitals aren’t even “overrun”.

Trump says coronavirus hospital ship USNS Comfort will leave New York City

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the USNS Comfort, the hospital ship deployed to provide emergency support for health-care workers battling the coronavirus, will depart its station in New York City to get "ready for its next mission."

www.cnbc.com

My county has one 25 bed hospital for about 12,000 people. Rumor has it that they only have one ventilator. How long do you figure it would take them to get overwhelmed? Lots of retired people here and the governor wants to open the beaches for tourists to come and infect us all.

Thats the invisible hand of the free market.
Capitalism is all about survival of the fittest.

LOL, Social Darwinism is not capitalism and it does not favor the fittest.

 

[charwin95]

So in triage, Corona Virus people are more important then heart attacks and similar!

That is not what it mean Dude. If you have a heart attack you can go to ER. But if you plan to have an ELECTIVE or NON EMERGENCY procedure that can wait. Then you wait.
.

 

[bripat9643]

No pulse means you're dead.

Wrong.

I guess kyzr will be in a world of hurt if he ever needs to have surgery on him where they must stop his heart first. They might just say: "Hey! He's dead! **** 'em! Let's go onto the next guy rather than mess with giving him a new heart valve!" Throw the body bag on him and toe tag him. It's getting late.

Why do hospitals even stock those devices to restart your heart?

So they can sell them to people with enough money to buy them, dumbass. Why the hell else do ya think?

I can't tell if you're joking.

 

[charwin95]

"New York state issued a blanket do-not-resuscitate directive last week instructing first-responders not to try to revive patients without a pulse amid increased call volumes and lack of resources during the coronavirus public health crisis"

“They’re not giving people a second chance to live anymore,’’ Oren Barzilay, the president of Local 2507, Uniformed EMT’s, Paramedics & Fire Inspectors Union, told the Post. “Our job is to bring patients back to life. This guideline takes that away from us.”


"If hospitalized patients infected with the virus begin to go into cardiac arrest, doctors and nurses must first dress in full personal protective equipment before beginning CPR, meaning some patients might die in the interim. Some doctors issue do-not-resuscitate orders for COVID-19 patients on a case to case basis without families signing off but blanket measures for all patients infected with the virus were considered too draconian by ethics professionals in the medical community."

Too 'draconian' for ethics professionals in the medical community perhaps, but we're talking about NEW YORK - forgetabout it.....Cardiac Patients are to be assumed as having COVID-19 by paramedics even if they have not been tested and proven to have the virus.

'F* 'em - Let 'em die!'


My suggestion - Try not to have a heart attack in New York!

New York state rescinds DNR order for cardiac patients amid coronavirus crisis

New York state rescinded a blanket do-not-resuscitate order on Wednesday, that instructed first-responders not to revive patients without a pulse, in an effort to preserve resources during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

www.foxnews.com

This is the problem when ignorant like you make this crisis worse as it is. PAY ATTENTION.
1. You do NOT give CPR to a dying patients with Coronavirus infections. Not a single stupid nurse or doctors will do that. That is like a suicide. That is the NORMAL practice all over US and around the world that are facing this crisis. Maybe you because you are so smart.

They have devices for resuscitating patients, dumbass. You don't have to put your mouth on theirs. In fact, that's never done in a hospital.

2. If you have CV infections in that level having a cardiac arrest. Your chances of survival is about zero.

I suppose you have some documentation for this claim.

3. In a normal situations. Yes the relatives has the final say when to issue DNR. This is a crisis. Doctors will try to save your life even if you are in coma but not when your chances is zero.

Your chances aren't zero, and your relatives don't have the final say if you have a living will

4. They are not criminals how you portrayed it that they just let them die.


Trump said it will just go away like flu. Take chloroquine What you got to lose.

.

99.9% of the time it does just go away. Most people never even notice they have it.

I made my post by numbers so it will be easier for you or anybody to give me your rebuttal. Try again.

 

[WEATHER53]

Living causes dying
We need to punish life for that via punishing ourselves in the fake name of “health”

 

[charwin95]

"New York state issued a blanket do-not-resuscitate directive last week instructing first-responders not to try to revive patients without a pulse amid increased call volumes and lack of resources during the coronavirus public health crisis"

“They’re not giving people a second chance to live anymore,’’ Oren Barzilay, the president of Local 2507, Uniformed EMT’s, Paramedics & Fire Inspectors Union, told the Post. “Our job is to bring patients back to life. This guideline takes that away from us.”


"If hospitalized patients infected with the virus begin to go into cardiac arrest, doctors and nurses must first dress in full personal protective equipment before beginning CPR, meaning some patients might die in the interim. Some doctors issue do-not-resuscitate orders for COVID-19 patients on a case to case basis without families signing off but blanket measures for all patients infected with the virus were considered too draconian by ethics professionals in the medical community."

Too 'draconian' for ethics professionals in the medical community perhaps, but we're talking about NEW YORK - forgetabout it.....Cardiac Patients are to be assumed as having COVID-19 by paramedics even if they have not been tested and proven to have the virus.

'F* 'em - Let 'em die!'


My suggestion - Try not to have a heart attack in New York!

New York state rescinds DNR order for cardiac patients amid coronavirus crisis

New York state rescinded a blanket do-not-resuscitate order on Wednesday, that instructed first-responders not to revive patients without a pulse, in an effort to preserve resources during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

www.foxnews.com

This is the problem when ignorant like you make this crisis worse as it is. PAY ATTENTION.
1. You do NOT give CPR to a dying patients with Coronavirus infections. Not a single stupid nurse or doctors will do that. That is like a suicide. That is the NORMAL practice all over US and around the world that are facing this crisis. Maybe you because you are so smart.

They have devices for resuscitating patients, dumbass. You don't have to put your mouth on theirs. In fact, that's never done in a hospital.

2. If you have CV infections in that level having a cardiac arrest. Your chances of survival is about zero.

I suppose you have some documentation for this claim.

3. In a normal situations. Yes the relatives has the final say when to issue DNR. This is a crisis. Doctors will try to save your life even if you are in coma but not when your chances is zero.

Your chances aren't zero, and your relatives don't have the final say if you have a living will

4. They are not criminals how you portrayed it that they just let them die.


Trump said it will just go away like flu. Take chloroquine What you got to lose.

.

99.9% of the time it does just go away. Most people never even notice they have it.

The problem how you quote me. In 2 or 3 post of arguments you are lost. Then you go all over the place.
The device that you are talking about is called LUCAS ( lund university cardiopulmonary assist system). You honestly believe I don’t know anything about that device?

 

[charwin95]

No pulse means you're dead.

Wrong.

You are so smart. If you don’t have a pulse. What do you call that?

if you have a Coronavirus and you don’t have a pulse. Your lungs is totally worthless cannot be save by ventilators.
.

 

[bripat9643]

"New York state issued a blanket do-not-resuscitate directive last week instructing first-responders not to try to revive patients without a pulse amid increased call volumes and lack of resources during the coronavirus public health crisis"

“They’re not giving people a second chance to live anymore,’’ Oren Barzilay, the president of Local 2507, Uniformed EMT’s, Paramedics & Fire Inspectors Union, told the Post. “Our job is to bring patients back to life. This guideline takes that away from us.”


"If hospitalized patients infected with the virus begin to go into cardiac arrest, doctors and nurses must first dress in full personal protective equipment before beginning CPR, meaning some patients might die in the interim. Some doctors issue do-not-resuscitate orders for COVID-19 patients on a case to case basis without families signing off but blanket measures for all patients infected with the virus were considered too draconian by ethics professionals in the medical community."

Too 'draconian' for ethics professionals in the medical community perhaps, but we're talking about NEW YORK - forgetabout it.....Cardiac Patients are to be assumed as having COVID-19 by paramedics even if they have not been tested and proven to have the virus.

'F* 'em - Let 'em die!'


My suggestion - Try not to have a heart attack in New York!

New York state rescinds DNR order for cardiac patients amid coronavirus crisis

New York state rescinded a blanket do-not-resuscitate order on Wednesday, that instructed first-responders not to revive patients without a pulse, in an effort to preserve resources during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

www.foxnews.com

This is the problem when ignorant like you make this crisis worse as it is. PAY ATTENTION.
1. You do NOT give CPR to a dying patients with Coronavirus infections. Not a single stupid nurse or doctors will do that. That is like a suicide. That is the NORMAL practice all over US and around the world that are facing this crisis. Maybe you because you are so smart.

They have devices for resuscitating patients, dumbass. You don't have to put your mouth on theirs. In fact, that's never done in a hospital.

2. If you have CV infections in that level having a cardiac arrest. Your chances of survival is about zero.

I suppose you have some documentation for this claim.

3. In a normal situations. Yes the relatives has the final say when to issue DNR. This is a crisis. Doctors will try to save your life even if you are in coma but not when your chances is zero.

Your chances aren't zero, and your relatives don't have the final say if you have a living will

4. They are not criminals how you portrayed it that they just let them die.


Trump said it will just go away like flu. Take chloroquine What you got to lose.

.

99.9% of the time it does just go away. Most people never even notice they have it.

I made my post by numbers so it will be easier for you or anybody to give me your rebuttal. Try again.

I gave my rebuttal, asshole.

 

[bripat9643]

No pulse means you're dead.

Wrong.

You are so smart. If you don’t have a pulse. What do you call that?

if you have a Coronavirus and you don’t have a pulse. Your lungs is totally worthless cannot be save by ventilators.
.

Two false conclusions.

 

[Desperado]

Just padding the deaths so it more like what the models predicted

 

[bripat9643]

"New York state issued a blanket do-not-resuscitate directive last week instructing first-responders not to try to revive patients without a pulse amid increased call volumes and lack of resources during the coronavirus public health crisis"

“They’re not giving people a second chance to live anymore,’’ Oren Barzilay, the president of Local 2507, Uniformed EMT’s, Paramedics & Fire Inspectors Union, told the Post. “Our job is to bring patients back to life. This guideline takes that away from us.”


"If hospitalized patients infected with the virus begin to go into cardiac arrest, doctors and nurses must first dress in full personal protective equipment before beginning CPR, meaning some patients might die in the interim. Some doctors issue do-not-resuscitate orders for COVID-19 patients on a case to case basis without families signing off but blanket measures for all patients infected with the virus were considered too draconian by ethics professionals in the medical community."

Too 'draconian' for ethics professionals in the medical community perhaps, but we're talking about NEW YORK - forgetabout it.....Cardiac Patients are to be assumed as having COVID-19 by paramedics even if they have not been tested and proven to have the virus.

'F* 'em - Let 'em die!'


My suggestion - Try not to have a heart attack in New York!

New York state rescinds DNR order for cardiac patients amid coronavirus crisis

New York state rescinded a blanket do-not-resuscitate order on Wednesday, that instructed first-responders not to revive patients without a pulse, in an effort to preserve resources during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

www.foxnews.com

This is the problem when ignorant like you make this crisis worse as it is. PAY ATTENTION.
1. You do NOT give CPR to a dying patients with Coronavirus infections. Not a single stupid nurse or doctors will do that. That is like a suicide. That is the NORMAL practice all over US and around the world that are facing this crisis. Maybe you because you are so smart.

They have devices for resuscitating patients, dumbass. You don't have to put your mouth on theirs. In fact, that's never done in a hospital.

2. If you have CV infections in that level having a cardiac arrest. Your chances of survival is about zero.

I suppose you have some documentation for this claim.

3. In a normal situations. Yes the relatives has the final say when to issue DNR. This is a crisis. Doctors will try to save your life even if you are in coma but not when your chances is zero.

Your chances aren't zero, and your relatives don't have the final say if you have a living will

4. They are not criminals how you portrayed it that they just let them die.


Trump said it will just go away like flu. Take chloroquine What you got to lose.

.

99.9% of the time it does just go away. Most people never even notice they have it.

The problem how you quote me. In 2 or 3 post of arguments you are lost. Then you go all over the place.
The device that you are talking about is called LUCAS ( lund university cardiopulmonary assist system). You honestly believe I don’t know anything about that device?

Apparently you don't because you just made it clear that you believe medical personnel have to have flesh to flesh contact with a patient to resuscitate him.

 

[dudmuck]

OP is getting fake mad about a process that will happen everywhere medical resources are short. It's going to be even more of a shit sandwich in states that didn't do that much to prepare. Anyone who lives in small communities better hope they don't get it because once rural hospitals get overrun that's your ass.

New York hospitals aren’t even “overrun”.

Trump says coronavirus hospital ship USNS Comfort will leave New York City

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the USNS Comfort, the hospital ship deployed to provide emergency support for health-care workers battling the coronavirus, will depart its station in New York City to get "ready for its next mission."

www.cnbc.com

My county has one 25 bed hospital for about 12,000 people. Rumor has it that they only have one ventilator. How long do you figure it would take them to get overwhelmed? Lots of retired people here and the governor wants to open the beaches for tourists to come and infect us all.

Thats the invisible hand of the free market.
Capitalism is all about survival of the fittest.

Communist propaganda. While the capitalist countries always had better healthcare than any communist country not to mention leading the world in medical advances.

In Cuba, between 4 and 5 infants die for every 1,000 live births.
In the United States, nearly 6 infants die for every 1,000 live births.

If your baby girl was born in 2015 in Cuba, she could expect to live until 82.
In the United States, her lifespan would be a year less, on average.
A newborn girl in Mississippi can expect to live until 78, four fewer years than in Cuba.

 

[Crepitus]

"New York state issued a blanket do-not-resuscitate directive last week instructing first-responders not to try to revive patients without a pulse amid increased call volumes and lack of resources during the coronavirus public health crisis"

“They’re not giving people a second chance to live anymore,’’ Oren Barzilay, the president of Local 2507, Uniformed EMT’s, Paramedics & Fire Inspectors Union, told the Post. “Our job is to bring patients back to life. This guideline takes that away from us.”


"If hospitalized patients infected with the virus begin to go into cardiac arrest, doctors and nurses must first dress in full personal protective equipment before beginning CPR, meaning some patients might die in the interim. Some doctors issue do-not-resuscitate orders for COVID-19 patients on a case to case basis without families signing off but blanket measures for all patients infected with the virus were considered too draconian by ethics professionals in the medical community."

Too 'draconian' for ethics professionals in the medical community perhaps, but we're talking about NEW YORK - forgetabout it.....Cardiac Patients are to be assumed as having COVID-19 by paramedics even if they have not been tested and proven to have the virus.

'F* 'em - Let 'em die!'


My suggestion - Try not to have a heart attack in New York!

New York state rescinds DNR order for cardiac patients amid coronavirus crisis

New York state rescinded a blanket do-not-resuscitate order on Wednesday, that instructed first-responders not to revive patients without a pulse, in an effort to preserve resources during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

www.foxnews.com

Isn't that what you guys wanted in the first place?

 

[DOTR]

OP is getting fake mad about a process that will happen everywhere medical resources are short. It's going to be even more of a shit sandwich in states that didn't do that much to prepare. Anyone who lives in small communities better hope they don't get it because once rural hospitals get overrun that's your ass.

New York hospitals aren’t even “overrun”.

Trump says coronavirus hospital ship USNS Comfort will leave New York City

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the USNS Comfort, the hospital ship deployed to provide emergency support for health-care workers battling the coronavirus, will depart its station in New York City to get "ready for its next mission."

www.cnbc.com

My county has one 25 bed hospital for about 12,000 people. Rumor has it that they only have one ventilator. How long do you figure it would take them to get overwhelmed? Lots of retired people here and the governor wants to open the beaches for tourists to come and infect us all.

Thats the invisible hand of the free market.
Capitalism is all about survival of the fittest.

Communist propaganda. While the capitalist countries always had better healthcare than any communist country not to mention leading the world in medical advances.

In Cuba, between 4 and 5 infants die for every 1,000 live births.
In the United States, nearly 6 infants die for every 1,000 live births.

If your baby girl was born in 2015 in Cuba, she could expect to live until 82.
In the United States, her lifespan would be a year less, on average.
A newborn girl in Mississippi can expect to live until 78, four fewer years than in Cuba.

You communists are known for lying. In Cuba...

"Physicians are given health outcome targets to meet or face penalties. This provides incentives to manipulate data. Take Cuba’s much praised infant mortality rate for example. In most countries, the ratio of the numbers of neonatal deaths and late fetal deaths stay within a certain range of each other as they have many common causes and determinants. One study found that that while the ratio of late fetal deaths to early neonatal deaths in countries with available data stood between 1.04 and 3.03 (Gonzalez, 2015)—a ratio which is representative of Latin American countries as well (Gonzalez and Gilleskie, 2017).2 Cuba, with a ratio of 6, was a clear outlier. This skewed ratio is evidence that physicians likely reclassified early neonatal deaths as late fetal deaths, thus deflating the infant mortality statistics and propping up life expectancy.

n ethnographic study of the Cuban health system showed that physicians who worried that a mother’s behavior might lead to missing the centrally established targets will prescribe the forceful internment in a state clinic (casa de maternidad) so that they may regulate her behavior.4 Physicians often perform abortions without clear consent of the mother, raising serious issues of medical ethics, when ultrasound reveals fetal abnormalities because ‘otherwise it might raise the infant mortality rate’ (Hirschfeld 2007b:12).5

Coercing or pressuring patients into having abortions artificially improve infant mortality by preventing marginally riskier births from occurring help doctors meet their centrally fixed targets. At 72.8 abortions per 100 births, Cuba has one of the highest abortion rates in the world.6 If only 5% of the abortions are actually pressured abortions meant to keep health statistics up, life expectancy at birth must be lowered by a sizeable amount. "

Cuban infant mortality and longevity: health care or repression?

HighlightsCuban healthcare statistics are flawed.The health achievements are in part the result of repressive methods.The health achievements are in part t

academic.oup.com