The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIAN medical students studying in Cuba have called for an end to “discriminatory practices” that have made it difficult for them to be employed in The Bahamas.

Earlier this month, Bahamas Ambassador to Cuba Dr Elliston Rahming hosted a group of Bahamian medical students attending Escuela Latino Americana de Medicina (ELAM Medical School) in Havana.

The students raised concerns about the “apparent bias” within the country’s medical field against Cuban-trained Bahamian doctors.

Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville yesterday acknowledged the medical students’ concerns, saying he plans to meet up with the students at some point very soon.

“I don’t really understand the whole circumstances around it, but I did reach out to our ambassador in Cuba.

“I plan to have a meeting with them because I’m scheduled to leave for Havana tomorrow that is a part of my agenda.

“Of course, they are medical students studying abroad and I need to listen to their concerns and ultimately come up with a strategy to assist any Bahamian studying in any country.”

The minister’s comments followed the students expressing their displeasure regarding how they’ve been treated.

“The future physicians raised a number of concerns with Ambassador Rahming, uppermost of which was the apparent bias within the medical profession in The Bahamas against Cuba-trained Bahamian doctors,” a recent press statement from the Embassy of The Bahamas in Havana said.

“According to a recent publication, one of the greatest paradoxes in Cuba is how a country in which the average monthly wage is $40 can keep its population as healthy as those of developed nations.

“The article posits that the main reason for this accomplishment is Cuba’s ability to provide well-trained, quality doctors.”

Students questioned why it was so difficult for Bahamian medical graduates from Cuban universities to find employment in The Bahamas. Especially if Cuban nationals are recruited to work in The Bahamas despite them having the same training and schooling as Bahamian students who also studied in Cuba.

“Students also pointed out to the number of foreign physicians employed in The Bahamas who attended medical school in their respective countries. It is believed that they too are allowed to practice medicine in The Bahamas without any additional test or training. Bahamian medical students say they simply want a level playing field.

“Cuba’s extensive medical outreach programme now boasts over 40,000 medical professionals in some seventy-seven countries,” the statement also said.