Students Study Foreign Health Care Systems During Spring Break
Cuba
More than 20 students followed Iain Aitken, lecturer, Department of Maternal and Child Health, and Roberta Gianfortoni, director for professional education at HSPH, to Cuba. The group traveled under a special license granted to the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University.
Unlike the US system, all Cubans have access to free, local health care. "The idea is good, but in practice there are some problems," said Keiichi Hayashi, MPH student in international health. He cited, for example, the inability to protest blanket health policies such as the mandatory HIV testing of pregnant women.
Poland
On January 1, 1999, Polish officials initiated a new health care system that shifted control from the national government to local municipalities. Paul Campbell, lecturer, Departments of Health Policy and Management and Population and International Health, shepherded 23 HSPH students to Poland to learn about the country's health sector reform. Campbell co-directs a consortium that advised Polish officials during the reform.
Tonya Villafuna, MPH student in international health, said the trip
was the most productive part of the MPH program because it brought to
life public health issues after months of coursework. "Students got
to meet with the Ministry of Health," she said. "You could see
how the reforms were actually affecting the country."
