Was Michael Moore's 'Sicko' banned in Cuba?

Well, according to a cable sent by officials at the US Special Interests Office in Havana, Cuba, published in the Guardian, it was banned from screening in Cuba as 'it painted such a "mythically" favourable picture of Cuba's healthcare system that the authorities feared it could lead to a popular backlash.' Of course, this has been picked up particularly by the right-wing media and immediately accepted as fact.

But is this actually the truth? According to Michael Moore, it's a load of crock! As Moore brilliantly stated on his blog, Sicko was shown on Cuban TV for everyone to see on 25 April 2008. Check out Moore's post here for full details. As Moore states, you'd think someone would have checked up with Cuba first to see whether this was actually the case. This is yet again proof that the leaked cables from Havana are full of information that the bosses in Washington would like to hear but have no reflection on reality. Those guys in Havana should get some tips off their colleagues then.

Healthcare Crisis in DPR Korea?

Anything can be said about DPR Korea. The slightest bit of hearsay, rumour or blatant disinformation and immediately it is accepted as proven fact. Despite aid agencies on the ground in DPR Korea, honestly, due to its secretive nature, we in the West have no idea what is really going on there. Here is the latest of piecemeal information bundled together and passed off as something groundbreaking. North Korea's health system is in crisis. Well, yes, it would be, but so are the health systems in most countries around the world. This comes as a bit of a surprise considering that 2 months ago Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO Director General praised the DPR Korea health system! Chan's report was rubbished in certain circles as it doesn't fit in with the ideological viewpoint forced by the West that everything about DPR Korea is bad. So in comes Amnesty with this report which, not surprisingly, fails to give the ultimate reason why the health system in DPR Korea is failing - crippling sanctions imposed by the West. DPR Korea prides itself on its free and universal public health system, but like Cuba and other places facing blockades and universal sanctions, having access denied to medical equipment and funds (as these can be also used for military purposes) results in a deterioration of health systems.

What also lets this Amnesty report down is that they are relying on the testimony of North Koreans who are now in South Korea. These Koreans are not the most reliable of sources as they are closely monitored by the South Korean authorities (there's a 'minder' assigned to them for the first few years) to make sure that they are not North Korean spies in disguise. Coming from a society where the government constantly monitors individuals to ensure they follow the official line, only then to have a South Korean official 'mind' you and take note of everything you say does not lend to impartiality for these North Koreans.

I do believe that the health system in North Korea is not as good as it used to be, thanks to the natural disasters of the 1990s and ongoing Western sanctions, however the situation is not as dire as the testimony, and ultimately the Amnesty report, makes it out to be.