------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the April 19, 2001 issue of Workers World newspaper ------------------------- U.S. MED STUDENTS ARRIVE IN CUBA By Nadia Marsh, M.D. Havana When the plane landed here at midnight on April 4 carrying eight young people from the United States who are planning to study medicine in Cuba, it was a historic moment. The medical students already enrolled at the Latin American School of Medical Sciences had been waiting anxiously for them at the airport. The students of the international medical school, representing 23 countries in Latin America and Africa, were lined up in their white coats. They extended handshakes and warm embraces to their North American brothers and sisters, who had come to Cuba to study medicine and the art of doctoring with them. This is the first time since the U.S. blockade against Cuba that U.S. students will be offered scholarships and matriculated into a Cuban university. The next day, hundreds of students and professors packed the medical school auditorium. For over three hours students from diverse Latin American countries and Africa performed indigenous musical pieces and dances from their respective countries to celebrate the arrival of their U.S. counterparts. "This is only a modest beginning based on a revolutionary and visionary idea of President Fidel Castro," the Rev. Lucius Walker, director of Pastors for Peace, told the gathering. Walker had coordinated the outreach and acceptance process in the U.S. for the Cuban medical school. "We are sure that [Cuba] will open your arms and receive us like your own," he added. PRESIDENT CASTRO'S OFFER These eight students are able to get full medical training in Cuba as a result of an offer made by President Fidel Castro last Sept. 8 at Riverside Church in Harlem. Before a crowd of thousands, he discussed Cuba's plans to offer free scholarships to poor and disadvantaged students from the United States. President Castro emphasized that the U.S. students must meet several criteria. They should have a strong academic record, come from poor and minority backgrounds, and most importantly, have a deep commitment to serving their disadvantaged communities back home. President Castro's offer reflects Cuba's long tradition of international medical work. 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. More recently, 800 Cuban doctors have revamped a collapsed medical system in Haiti. In 1998, 121 doctors arrived in Honduras and began providing medical aid to an estimated 1.2 million patients. The Cuban offer is made possible because Cuba's socialist educational system, like its health system, is free and available to all. The U.S. students come from New York, Florida, Texas, California, Minnesota and Illinois. They are from low-income families. They are Latino, African American and Asian. They are excited about implementing their Cuban medical training in the U.S. when they graduate. "We've never had much. I know my parents had to sacrifice to get us health care. My lifelong dream has been to open a free clinic for those who can't get health care," said Nadege Loiseau, a 25- year-old student from Florida. A daughter of Haitian immigrants, Loiseau plans to specialize in obstetrics or pediatrics. One of eight children who had to work while in college, she now has a chance at a career that otherwise might have been impossible. The cost of $200,000 for medical school in the U.S. was a major obstacle to fulfilling her dream. For these six women and two men, studying medicine in Cuba was a dream come true. "This is an opportunity to study medicine, become a great doctor, and at the same learn about the Cuban medical system" said Karima Mosi, 22, from San Diego. As a biology major at the University of California at San Diego, Mosi became inspired by Cuba's system of family medicine and emphasis on good doctor-patient relationships. The opportunity to live in a revolutionary country and learn from students around the world was the most exciting part of studying in Cuba, said one student. POVERTY AND HEALTH CARE IN THE U.S. Despite the $8-trillion gross national pro duct in the U.S., 44.3 million people, or 16.3 percent of the population, remain unin sured; 100,000 more are added to their ranks each month. Those most likely to lack health insurance are young adults in the 18-to-24-year-old age group, immigrants and minority groups. When it comes to health care, vast tracts of the U.S. resemble the Third World. One in every five children is born into poverty. For African American children, the official poverty rate is as high as one in two. It is one of the great ironies of history that, 40 years into the U.S. blockade against Cuba, this small and relatively poor country is embarking on training medical students from the richest and most technologically advanced country in the world. Nadia Marsh is a physician at Harlem Hospital and member of the medical committee that accompanied the students to Cuba on April 3-6. - 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. 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