Cuban doctors

Abstract

Cuban doctors are not only helping to provide health care in Venezuela (June 5, p 1874)1Ceaser M Cuban doctors provide care in Venezuela's barrios.Lancet. 2004; 363: 1874-1875Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (6) Google Scholar but throughout Latin America and southern Africa. Cuba has an excellent domestic health-care system providing free care for all its citizens, and has one general practitioner for every 650 people. Having gone to neighbouring countries devastated by hurricanes or other natural disasters for many years, Cuban doctors have now adopted a proactive approach to helping their neighbours.The Latin American School of Medicine was established in Havana in 1999, and provides free training to individuals from poor areas of Latin America. Individuals have to agree to return to their own region within their own country and provide health care for their local population after qualification. There are currently more than 8000 students studying medicine through this scheme.2Valencia M The first multinational crop of doctors.http://granmai.cubaweb.com-/ingles/2004/mayo/vier28/23elam.htmlGoogle Scholar I have been fortunate enough to meet some of these students while visiting Cuba, and their commitment to improving the health of their local communities is impressive.The Cuban government has consistently regarded health as a human right rather than a commodity. This sentiment is in sharp contrast to that of many western academic institutions, which see overseas students mainly as a source of income. Cuban doctors are not only helping to provide health care in Venezuela (June 5, p 1874)1Ceaser M Cuban doctors provide care in Venezuela's barrios.Lancet. 2004; 363: 1874-1875Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (6) Google Scholar but throughout Latin America and southern Africa. Cuba has an excellent domestic health-care system providing free care for all its citizens, and has one general practitioner for every 650 people. Having gone to neighbouring countries devastated by hurricanes or other natural disasters for many years, Cuban doctors have now adopted a proactive approach to helping their neighbours. The Latin American School of Medicine was established in Havana in 1999, and provides free training to individuals from poor areas of Latin America. Individuals have to agree to return to their own region within their own country and provide health care for their local population after qualification. There are currently more than 8000 students studying medicine through this scheme.2Valencia M The first multinational crop of doctors.http://granmai.cubaweb.com-/ingles/2004/mayo/vier28/23elam.htmlGoogle Scholar I have been fortunate enough to meet some of these students while visiting Cuba, and their commitment to improving the health of their local communities is impressive. The Cuban government has consistently regarded health as a human right rather than a commodity. This sentiment is in sharp contrast to that of many western academic institutions, which see overseas students mainly as a source of income.