A Venezuelan pulmonologist living in Naples, Florida named Jose Rafael Marquina with "first-hand sources and information about the president's health," called Chávez's Cuba-care "complete disorder."
Dr. Marquina explained that Cubano doctors originally misdiagnosed the nature and location of Chávez's tumor and subsequently botched two surgeries. Then, an already dire situation was compounded when Chávez was given high doses of the wrong chemotherapy drugs and steroids, which caused the tumor to "mutate," making it impossible to treat. This is how Cuban socialized medicine cared for an important bigwig?
Yet, even after all that, Chávez insisted on going back to Cuba for a third surgery. That type of allegiance can only be likened to Americans going through a disastrous first term with Barack Obama and then, rather than refusing further treatment, inviting the Mad Dr. O to continue administering high doses of the wrong medicine for another four years.
Marquina claims he repeatedly suggested to Chávez that he travel to the US, since in Cuba "they have no experience in these cases." Unmoved by such logic, Chávez chose to return to Cuba and the ramifications of that choice resulted in protracted suffering from an untreatable cancer, a severe respiratory infection, septic shock, mechanical respiration, excruciating pain, and premature death at 58 years of age.
To this, most would say hallelujah; the world is down one socialist dictator who surely won't be missed. But what Americans should really pay heed to is Hugo Chávez's loyalty to Fidel Castro's Cuban healthcare system and what it ultimately got him. Obama loyalists might not want to admit it, but Chávez's blind faith in something that failed him bears a striking resemblance to the 'Hope and Change' crowd's unwavering faith in both the president and his vision for Obamacare. The latter group may not realize it just yet, but because of their lapse in good judgment everyone is now at risk to meet the same painful, chaotic end as Hugo. |
