Abstract

WHO/PAHO have acclaimed Cuba for achieving full access to primary care and developing pharmaceutical solutions from research into neglected diseases which plague developing nations. The Cuban health system currently incorporates a wide variety of TM therapies that are consistently integrated with conventional medical approaches to treat a broad range of afflictions In Cuba, Traditional medicine is included in the curricula of health professionals to promote integration across the provinces. National policies define the role of traditional and complementary/alternative medicine (CAM) in health care programs: ensuring that the necessary regulatory and legal mechanisms are created for promoting and maintaining good practice; assuring authenticity, safety and efficacy of traditional and complementary/alternative therapies; and providing equitable access to health care resources and information about those resources.This paper focuses on the integration of traditional medicine into a modern health care system, using the Cuban system experience as an example. The Cuban Pharmaceutical Services and its new trends toward to patient centered care practice including natural and traditional medicine use are analyzed to provide insights for developing recommendations for a CAM practice and integration policies appropriate for use in other healthcare settings.