How the Legacy of Colonialism Keeps Puerto Rico’s Healthcare System in Shambles

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Almost half of Puerto Rico’s doctors have fled the island over the past decade, leading to a lack of specialists and treatment and incredibly long wait times. And this isn’t just an inconvenience. People are dying from lack of care. Why is Puerto Rico’s health care system collapsing, and why are doctors fleeing the island?

We take a look at its deeply dysfunctional private medical system and why attempts to fix it and create a universal health care plan on the island are being hindered by Puerto Rico’s status as a U.S. colony. Its massive unpayable debt, held by investors in the U.S., means that it cannot make its own economic decisions, even when it affects the livelihood of poor Puerto Ricans living there. But there might be a fix: getting rid of Puerto Rico’s debt and rethinking its colonial relationship to the U.S.

GUESTS:

• Carolina (pseudonym used for privacy).
• Coral del Mar Murphy Marcos: journalist and author of an article on PR’s health care crisis.
• Paola (pseudonym used for privacy).
• Alberto Medina: Boricuas Unidos en la Diáspora.

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