My condolences.

Because I had told a couple of times that my father was very ill and some might care, also it helps me to get better, even if just a bit

My condolences to you and your family.

Man, I just had an afternoon out with my dad yesterday, and during dinner he tells me he came VERY close to having a major heart attack 3 different times this past year. Scared the living bejeebers out of me. Thank god its getting fixed.

Bad luck, mate. My sympathies.

I'll be thinking of you and your family. Your father fought a good and hard fight.

Last night I dreamt something about my father, but I don't remember the dream. My father died two years ago, he was a bit over 70 and suffered from a lot of things, Parkinson, Alzheimer etc. It was an 8 year long downhill journey and the end was very obvious. Anyhow I was very sad when it happened, because the very end came due to a neglection of care at the nursing home. My mom took care of him most of the time, but she had to have some time off once in a while. At the nursing home he got an inflammation in his mouth, so he couldn't take his Parkinson medicine, which made him so stiff that the heart couldn't handle it. It was only a question of time, but anyway I felt frustrated and disappointed.

But Cuba also has bad health care. Which do you want: health care that actually does something, or really really cheap health care?

Not quite. Cuban doctors are among the best in Latin America. So good actually, that lots of Westerners see them for cosmetic surgery, thereby helping to pay for the free healthcare for Cubans; so good that Venezuela is willing to trade their oil for Cuban medical know-how.
Problem is, because of the US embargo, drugs are scarce and extremely expensive. So you go to the highly qualified doctor, and he ends up telling you, OK, I know exactly what the problem is and how to fix it, but I can't, unless you can find me drug XYZ. So the healthcare is bad, but it being free isn't the reason.
Personally, I think that the best possible health care (I'm not talking luxury stuff here, just what you need to be healthy and comfortable) should generally be free for everybody. I'd rather pay 10% more taxes (or more), if that would mean free healthcare at all times. If I get cancer, by what logic do I deserve to either pay massive sums for treatment, or be left to die? Sure, it'd make things cheaper for those of us who are lucky, but at what cost? Healthcare should be a guaranteed human right. So there you have it, I'm a st***ing commie.

Yep, I wanted to add that too Anyway I was shocked when I read that post, but then I realised that he must be from the USA.

That's what I was saying.

Wow, we turned a condolence thread into an argument. Yay.

Me too. Sorry.