The Impact of the US Economic Sanctions on Health in Cuba

Economic sanctions, as a tool of coercive foreign policy, have been very popular in the 1990s. Sanctions are supposed to impose economic hardship on the country and make the government change its policies. However, there is strong evidence that sanctions cause severe civilian hardship. Reports suggest that sanctions can seriously harm the health of people who live in targeted nations. For this reason, the object of this paper is to address the health effects of economic sanctions in Cuba, because of its long history in facing sanctions. For more than a half of a century, the USA has imposed economic, commercial, and financial sanctions against Cuba. These sanctions have influenced the health of Cubans in many ways. This paper reviews the impact of economic sanctions on health, health services and food security. To do so, desk research and macro analysis have been used in the paper. Finding shows that sanctions have limited access to health services, medicine and adequate food in Cuba. According the results, sanctions have had negative and destructive effects on the health of Cubans and they have violated human rights. The performance of Cuban government has reduced their consequences, though