------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the April 12, 2001 issue of Workers World newspaper ------------------------- PROGRAM FOR POOR COMMUNITIES: CUBA STARTS TRAINING U.S. STUDENTS TO BE DOCTORS By Gloria La Riva Last Sept. 8 in New York's Riverside Church Cuban President Fidel Castro told a crowd of 2,500 that Cuba would accept U.S. students to study medicine for free in Cuba. The only condition was for the students to make a commitment to serving poor communities in the United States after receiving their medical licenses. On April 3, the first group, eight African American and Latino youths, left for Havana to study medicine. They come from Texas, Florida, Minnesota, California, and the Bronx, N.Y. It's a dream come true for Californian Kareema Mosi, 22, who can hardly believe she's going. "I'm extremely excited about it and totally grateful at being accepted to medical school," she said. "I always planned to be a doctor for years. But to study in the U.S., if you take all those school loans, it's a small fortune. "It'd be extremely difficult to work in an under-served community if you're worried about all those debts." In Cuba, all of Mosi's schooling will be completely free. Room and board for the six-year program will also be provided. Over 3,400 students from 23 countries, mostly in Latin America and the Caribbean, are already at the Latin America School of Medicine, also studying for free. The school was established in the wake of the terrible hurricanes that caused many deaths and extensive damage in Central America in 1997. But this is the first time that U.S. students are to be admitted to that program. A bigger group will be enrolled in August. Castro said at Riverside, "We are prepared to grant a number of scholarships to poor youth who cannot afford to pay the $200,000 it costs to get a medical degree in the U.S." CUBA IS OFFERING 500 SCHOLARSHIPS. President Castro made the offer originally to members of the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus when they were visiting Cuba. One representative, Benny Thompson from Mississippi, remarked that there were districts in his state where there were no doctors for poor, mostly African American people. Cuba's policy of international medical assistance, and now a medical school, is legendary. Since Cuba sent its first internationalist brigade of 56 medical personnel to Algeria in May 1963, more than 57,000 doctors and nurses have been sent around the world to every continent. That total is higher than the number sent by the World Health Organization. Now that solidarity is being extended to U.S. students who want not only to study medicine, but to serve where it is most needed, in poor communities in the United States. Mosi was a biology major at University of California at San Diego. She was a veterinarian's assistant for three years. Now she says: "I decided I'd rather work with people. I've always been interested in science and life and how it all works." She also recently interned at Yale Medical School in the Minority Medical Education Program. But she was somewhat discouraged by her stay there. "I thought medicine was working with people, but there it seemed so impersonal, like a conveyor belt for patients." Then she read an e-mail from the African Student Union at school. It contained a flier from Pastors for Peace, which is coordinating the outreach and acceptance process in the United States for the Cuban medical school. Mosi feels that her education in Cuba will be well suited to her goals of being a family practitioner, since the vast majority of doctors are in general practice in Cuba. "I didn't know too much about Cuba before. I do know that Cuba, with so little resources, still takes care of its people's medical needs for free. In the U.S. that doesn't happen. "I also hope that our experience will increase cultural awareness and understanding about Cuba." - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. To subscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send administrative queries to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
