Americas Quarterly - Spring 2011

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

In Memoriam—Philip Musgrove Americas Quarterly was saddened to hear about the unexpected passing of Philip Musgrove, a health economist, deputy editor of Health Affairs and contributor to AQ. Phil died on March 21, 2011 in a boating accident at Iguazu Falls. Phil’s area of expertise was international health systems—a topic he covered in his article “The Five Cs of Universal Health Care,” which appeared in AQ’s Summer 2010 issue. Though we knew him principally through his work, his writing conveyed a deep commitment to the topic and a wry wit. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family.

The Original Dispatches

AQ has been a great resource to my work as Americas editor of The Christian Science Monitor. Your weekly newswrap helps keep me abreast of regional issues, and I’ve shared your analytical articles with our correspondents to inform their coverage. Coincidentally, AQ’s newswrap has shouted out a number of recent stories in the Monitor, as well, which I value as a badge of recognition.

— Stephen Kurczy, The Christian Science Monitor

NOTE: Stephen Kurczy co-authored the first “Dispatches from the Field” piece, which appeared in the Winter 2008 issue of Americas Quarterly. “Dispatches from the Field: Oaxaca” reported on conditions in southern Mexico one year after a six-month protest in 2006. Following Kurczy’s article, “Dispatches from the Field” has become a regular department in AQ. Since contributing to AQ, Kurczy became international editor for The Christian Science Monitor in Boston, MA.

Testing Cuba’s Doctors

Like Mr. Musgrove, I have said for years that “Cuba exports doctors” (America’s Quarterly, Summer 2010). On a recent trip to Brazil, I had the opportunity to work with a Brazilian physician who, amongst other duties, is responsible for certifying foreign doctors working long term in Brazil. If a doctor travels to Brazil and sets up a practice, he or she is expected to register with the government and pass a test documenting a basic level of proficiency. My colleague stated that, “This is not a very hard test, something a medical student should be able to pass.” She went on to note that many Cuban “doctors” are unable to pass the test. So many fail that many or even most simply sneak into the country and disappear into rural areas or inner cities. I found this rather alarming. It raises the question: What do we know about the quality of the “doctors” that Cuba sends abroad? Have we ever looked behind the headline?

— John Kludt, MD,

Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians (FAAFP)

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