Abstract:
Despite the similar histories shared by the Philippines and Cuba, these two countries have
formed drastically different health systems. Given the varied health outcomes produced by the
Filipino and Cuban health systems, this study examined how historical events shaped the health
institutions and services in both countries by means of a qualitative comparative-historical
design. The study aims to describe and compare the health systems of Cuba and the Philippines
while analyzing its development through the years and how their historical experiences
influenced their governance and service delivery. Data was collected through a systematic
literature review which was presented through the PRISMA flow diagram. Key informant
interviews were also conducted with a medical historiographer and medical anthropologist. The
data analysis emphasized the ineffective healthcare of both countries during the colonial period
which eventually achieved significant changes in the post-colonial period as they diverged into
two different systems, the neoliberal Philippines which privatized healthcare and the socialist
Cuba which focused on community-based approaches to health. The parallelisms observed
include the Catholic-run institutions and health deficiencies during the Spanish occupation, the
emergence of the germ theory of disease under the presence of the US military, including the
health inequalities and repressive COVID-19 response during the contemporary period. The
health systems diverged in terms of ideology, the purpose of labor export, and data availability.
These historical changes resulted in varied health outcomes as observed in their public health
indicators, which showcased Cuba as more effective in providing healthcare than the Philippines.
