In an article purporting to analyze SiCKO’s absurdly flattering depiction of Cuba’s system of socialized medicine, Reuters is studiously credulous about the quality of medical care under Castro’s regime. After a perfunctory caveat about the “shabby” condition of Cuban hospitals, the “analysis” recites the following canard:

The health system built by President Fidel Castro’s government has produced results on a par with rich nations using the resources of a developing country.

And where does Reuters get its information about Castro’s health care “results”? From the World Health Organization, of course:

On key statistics measured by the World Health Organization, Cuba is in line with the United States.

So, what’s the problem? Well, as it happens, the statistics to which Reuters refers are nothing more than laundered propaganda. As discussed here, the W.H.O. makes no attempt to verify the numbers provided by Castro’s minions:

A spokesman for  the WHO division that collects statistics in the Americas, says the group doesn’t try to independently verify the numbers. “We rely on the figures the ministries of health send to us,” says PAHO spokesman Daniel Epstein.

It’s bad enough that the World Health Organization neglects to verify Fidel’s stats. That a “news organization” like Reuters fails to do so is a disgrace.