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American Morning

System in Cuba Has Gotten Some Things Right

Aired May 14, 2002 - 09:34   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Former President Carter's trip to Cuba this week of course has put the international spotlight on that communist country in the Caribbean. But before the fall of the Berlin Wall, if you traveled through many of the communist nations in Eastern Europe, it was pretty grim. You could see it in people's faces, but it's always been a bit different in Cuba. Cubans will tell you that's because the system has actually gotten some things right.

CNN's Kate Snow explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Cuba's national softball team drills for hours in the heat on -- and off the field.

Nearby, the national 17 and under soccer players, they have been recruited from all over the country. Beginning in grade school, students with skill are singled out and sent to special schools.

Like many here, Leonardo Duarte (ph) is far from home. He says he misses his family a lot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): But the coaches here support us a lot. They're friends, they treat us like fathers.

SNOW: When they're not practicing, they're in the classroom, do they like the sports or studying better? Both, they say.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It's like a regular school, but with more opportunities in sports.

SNOW: According to a United Nations study, Cuba's regular schools rank at the top in Latin America. Old mansions were converted to classrooms under pictures of gun-toting revolutionaries. Children are taught Cuban history, with computer skills, English and all the basics. For a developing nation, the literacy rate is exceptional, at 96 percent, according to the U.N.

(on camera): Another success, Cubans point to, health care. Beginning in neighborhoods like this one, inside a house or an apartment building, you'll find a community family doctor. In this doctor's case, he serves 550 patients. Others doctor serve up to 800 people, but the bottom line is every Cuban has a primary care physician. (voice-over): Doctors get to know their patients and even make house calls. They emphasize prevention and follow-up. Again, according to the U.N., 96 percent of one-year-olds are immunized. Life expectancy is just one year less than the states, at 76. Cuba may not have the nicest facilities or equipment. Medicine is sometimes in short supply, but everyone has access and the concept of paying is completely foreign.

DR. MAITE RAMIREZ, FAMILY PHYSICIAN: Totally unpaid. We never say that it's unpaid, because it's something that we was born with this right.

SNOW: Though the country has a lot of problems, it's hard to deny they get results in certain areas. In the last three Summer Olympics, Cuba, an island with only 11 million people, has finished near the top in the medal count.

Coach Rodriguez tells his team, you have to think big to get big results. Some day, these players hope they will win the World Cup.

Kate Snow, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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