In the press: the Medical School Scholarship Program

 

Students plan on getting degrees in Cuba

By Staci Matlock
The New Mexican (Santa Fe)
July 12, 2004

Come sanctions or Bush administration policies, Albuquerque resident Belisario Bejarano plans on returning to Cuba in August to continue medical school at the Latin American School for Medical Sciences.

"There is nothing that is going to get in the way of my education , whether it be (President) Bush or the U.S. government," Bejarano, 20, said, while in the Duke City on break after his third year of medical studies. "Nothing is going to get in the way of me learning to save lives."

The same goes for Santa Fean Tatyana Guerrero-Pezzano , who left a medical school in Havana on June 29, as did many of the other 80 U.S. students attending the six-year program on full scholarship from Cuban leader Fidel Castro. The dictator offered scholarships to students from low-income areas in the United States and Latin American countries on condition they return to work as physicians in Cuba’s underserved areas. The U.S. Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization, also known as Pastors for Peace, sponsored American students in their travel to the medical school.

The American students who left Cuba two weeks ago in the midst of their final exams did so after they were told the Office of Foreign Assets Control, a branch of the U.S. Treasury Department, had issued a warning to American travelers. As part of continuing sanctions against Cuba, the government told U.S. travelers - including fully hosted ones such as the medical students - that they would be considered in violation of federal policy if they remained in Cuba after June. Many of the students, such as Guerrero-Pezzano , changed their plane tickets to fly home early.

Some of the students, including another Albuquerque resident , Jessica Barreto, chose to stay in Cuba, in spite of the warning, to finish their exams.

A day after issuing the travel warning, the U.S. government announced the medical students had until Aug. 1 to return home. By then, it was too late for some.

"They gave us a last-minute extension, but I had already decided to come back in case things changed again," Guerrero-Pezzano said. She plans to return in August to finish three final exams and begin her second year at the medical school.

She said earlier news reports described the students as "fleeing" from Cuba. That wasn’t so, she maintained. School staff and students were operating on the best information they had at the time, before the U.S. government offered the extension.

Miguel Angel, a Las Vegas, N.M., resident and a member of the U.S.-Cuba Sister Cities program that helped sponsor the New Mexico students, said he’s been told the Office of Foreign Assets Control is reconsidering the policy in regard to medical students and will announce that the students can stay in Cuba. Attempts to confirm this policy clarification through the offices of Rep. Tom Udall, DN .M., and Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N .M., were unsuccessful.

Udall, a member of a bipartisan committee examining the U.S. policy toward Cuba, issued a statement shortly after some of the medical students returned home.

"The Bush Administration claims that its new regulations will undermine Fidel Castro and further isolate his regime," Udall said. "But in reality, these regulations harm Americans tremendously . The administration knows very well that they have put these Americans who elected to attend medical school in Cuba in a serious bind, and they have yet to act. This is just one example of the harm done by the new regulations. The new changes also stipulate that Cuban-Americans can travel to Cuba only once in three years. So if a Cuban-American visited his family in Cuba last month, and his mother dies next month, he is prevented from attending her funeral. This is preposterous."

Guerrero-Pezzano said she wasn’t surprised when the U.S. government began telling American travelers to return home.

"When I signed up for the program, I always considered that what I was doing was basically illegal due to diplomatic relations and sanctions ," she said.

"I was willing to take that risk because I believe in this program and because I believe we have the right to study where we want to."

Bejarano, a 2001 Albuquerque High School graduate, volunteered at UNM Hospital while in high school. He is again volunteering there this summer while on break. He said the medical staff there has been highly supportive of his choice in medical schools.

"I chose to go to Cuba because it was different and it is a more humane education ," Bejarano said. "Cuba teaches you that you have to treat people from your heart, not from the books."

Bejarano said of any attempt by the U.S. government to mandate where he attends school: "That is called terrorism. When you block off someone’s dream to become a doctor, that is terrorism. I don’t care what they do, I will come back with my diploma from Cuba."

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U.S. students to continue studies in Cuba despite the Bush measures

July 15, 2004
By Boris Leonardo Caro
Granma International staff writer

HAVANA.- U.S. students on medical courses in Cuba are to return in September to continue their studies, confirmed a representative of these young people during a welcome reception for the 15th Pastors for Peace Caravan.

Last week certain press reports appeared on the untimely retreat of the majority of U.S. scholarship students for fear of the new restrictions adopted by the Bush administration. "The press has not been correct in that belief," stated Narciso Ortiz, who has just finished his examinations. Ortiz added that the majority of first-year students and those on the preparatory course are to remain in the medical school.

"The second-year students have finished their exams and have left for normal vacations," he confirmed. "Only three first-year students have withdrawn on account of the measures."

During the Pastors for Peace welcoming event, the Reverend Lucius Walker, leader of that organization, revealed that they had initiated a campaign to get the White House to exempt those young students from the recent measure. "Secretary of State Colin Powell is personally intervening to make an exception in this case," Walker affirmed.

The pastor added that there are already indications that the administration will try to set up new regulations guaranteeing that these students can continue their studies without any form of obstacle.

Close to 80 U.S. students have enrolled at the Latin American Medical School in Havana, having been incorporated into a scholarship program that President Fidel Castro offered to poor U.S. communities in 2000.

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The Compassion of Cuba's Health Care

online at
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/article_1469.shtml

By Nisa Islam Muhammad
Staff Writer Updated Jun 15, 2004, 02:30 pm

More doctors equal better health

(image caption) Teresa Glover (r), a 3rd year medical student from the United States, shows care and concern as she speaks Spanish with a patient at the Allende Medical School in Havana, Cuba.

HAVANA (FinalCall.com) - While major media reports the war of words between America and Cuba over President George Bushs new economic sanctions, very little, if anything, is being said about President Fidel Castro's offer of 500 yearly medical school scholarships to solve the health crisis in the Black community.

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 United States,said President Castro in 2001 when he announced the offer while speaking in New York.

A major problem in the health of the Black community is the lack of Black doctors servicing poor and needy Black patients. With rising costs in medical schools and limited openings for Black students, the problem appears only to worsen.

The Latin American School of Medical Sciences (LASMS) here stands ready to educate a minimum of 500 doctors each yearfor free. The only requirement is that, after they graduate, they must come back to the United States and practice medicine among the poor.

<<< image: Executive Director of Pastors for Peace Rev. Lucius Walker Jr. (c) stands with (l-r) Melissa Barber, Toussaint Reynolds, Kenya Bingham, Jose Deleon, Cedric Edwards, Teresa Glover and Evelyn Erickson, who were part of the initial student population that launched the program at the Allende Medical School.

The program is organized by the Inter-religious Foundation for Community Organizing (IFCO)/Pastors for Peace which is under the direction of founder Reverend Lucius Walker. On May 24-29, Rev. Walker headed a U.S. delegation to tour the medical school facilities. The first stop was the Salvador Allende Medical School, which trains third through sixth year medical students.

"Yours is a noble profession. You must be missionaries and ministers committed to the full development of the people you serve. Go into the world and build a better world, a healthier world. You may become leaders in your community. Take dignity and respect for the poor and commitment to build a new world with you as you go out to become doctors", Rev. Walker said to the students.

After he spoke, Teresa Glover, a third year student from New York City, came looking for him with open arms.

He's the reason I'm here,she told The Final Call. Ms. Glover graduated from the State University of New York in 1998 with a degree in biology, after which she got a job and worked for three years. In 2001, she heard about the medical school program and called IFCO.

I love the school. I really want to be a doctor and couldnt have done it any other way. I started working with patients right away. Now that Im in my third year, there are more hands on interactions with the patients.

Her biggest adjustment is being away from her family and the inability to call home regularly because of the economic sanctions.

I got married after my first year and my husband, James, is my biggest supporter. We're determined to make it work, she shared.

Cedric Edwards is from New Orleans and has a combined molecular biology and biochemistry degree from Middleburg College. He is in his fifth year and will be the first U.S. graduate next year.

Im very excited about graduating, but Im also concerned about the problems between the U.S. and Cuba. I really want to practice medicine in the United States and help poor people get better health care,he told The Final Call.

Melissa Barber always wanted to be a doctor. Her degree from Ursinus Collge is in chemistry and Spanish.

I went to a boarding high school, so Ive always lived away from home. This is an exciting program. Theyre teaching me to be a great doctor. Ive learned to integrate my patient care with what I learned in my first two years,she told The Final Call.

An export of great import

What Cuba is doing for the students from the U.S. is nothing new. This country is world renowned for educating doctors and exporting them where they are needed the most. Currently, there are 9,000 students from 24 different countries.

Cuba has offered the most student slots to the United States. Other countries have 3,000 students competing for the 50 slots that are offered. Cuba considers this work her humble effort to help all countries within their possibilities.

Since an overwhelming number of students were coming from Africa, Cuba is planning to open a medical school in Africa to serve all of the students who want to be doctors. This work of sending health professionals around the world has led Nation of Islam Minister of Health and Human Services Abdul Alim Muhammad to see Cuba as the most compassionate country on earth.

What does Cuba get for sending doctors around the world? They get nothing. They really care about people. They really believe that people deserve and have a right to health care. They believe people deserve life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,he told The Final Call.

He recalled his first visit to Cuba in 1995. They had 50,000 doctors for their 10 million people. Now, they have 70-80,000 doctors for 12 million people. They dont need any more doctors. They have a doctor in every community, school and factory. They have the best doctor-patient ratio in the world, with one doctor for every 200 people,he pointed out.

The ratio, in fact, is really better than that. Cuba boasts one doctor for every 165 people, according to the Cuban officials. The ratio in the United States is far worse.

According to the National Medical Association, there are only 23,000 Black doctors in practice to serve 40 million Black people. How many patients is that per doctor? Its one doctor for every 2,000 patients. Thats Third World health standards. We cant elevate the health conditions of our people with that ratio,Dr. Muhammad charged.

For Whites, the ratio is one doctor for every 300 people. Whites have six times greater access to a health professional than Blacks,he continued. There are whole areas around the country where there are no Black doctors.

Most doctors agree that people tend to get medical care from people who look like them and are more likely to relate to their own experiences.

Dr. Muhammad said, We dont have the manpower to do what needs to be done to improve our health. We need six or seven times as many doctors as we have now. How will we get them? This speaks to the greatness of what Cuba is doing.

Getting into medical school

In the United States, there are only two predominantly Black medical schools, Howard and Meharry Universities. Many of the 80 students attending medical school in Cuba applied to medical school in their homeland, but werent accepted.

Sarpoma Sefa-Boakye is from southern California and is starting a student chapter of the National Medical Association. "They asked us why we didnt apply to Howard or Meharry. I told them that we did, but we didnt get accepted."

In Cuba, there are seats ready and waiting for qualified students to apply. It doesnt cost an arm or a leg either.

I love it here,said Nicole Murray from New Jersey. The teachers are very concerned about you. In the U.S., youre just a number and youre expected to fail. If you miss a class, they come after you. [In Cuba,] the teachers look for you and ask you where you were and whats going on, she told The Final Call.

The teachers are very strict,added Jessica Barreto, who is from New Mexico. The teachers really want you to be successful.

For Desta Muhammad, a first year medical student from Los Angeles, the goal of becoming a doctor is what keeps her motivated. Like all of the other students, she misses home, going to Muhammads Mosque No. 27 and eating her regular food. In exchange for that sacrifice, she has learned Spanish, made numerous friends and is getting a free medical education.

I want to be a doctor and this was the only way I was going to be able to do it. I love the program and encourage others to get involved, she said.

The program consists of a six-month pre-med study which is designed to bring all students to a comparable proficiency level to begin their studies. Many from Latin American countries begin this process straight out of high school at the age of 16.

U.S. students tend to complete more schooling, which bears witness to the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhans comments on the dumbing downof American education. Some can come straight from high school, but most attend at least two years of college first.

At the LASMS, pre-med includes courses in chemistry, biology, math and physics, an introduction to health sciences, history of the Americas, and a 12-week intensive Spanish language program for those who need it. Some students are able to opt out of pre-med with a placement test in the sciences and Spanish.

The program is based on intensive advising and tutoring designed to help every student succeed. Students must pass competency exams at appropriate points in their course of study.

A six-year medical school program follows, beginning every September, divided into 12 semesters. Students study at the LASMS campus for the first two years, and then go to another of Cubas 21 medical schools to complete their studies.

The Cuban medical school combines theory and practice and is oriented towards primary care, community medicine and hands-on internships.

(For more information on the Latin American School of Medical Sciences, call the Inter-religious Foundation for Community Organizing(IFCO)/Pastors for Peace at (212) 926-5757 or visit www.ifconews.org.) or email IFCO for an application. Include your name, phone and home address as well as school address if you have one.

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Another 1,600 students from 21 countries begin medical studies

New U.S. group arrives

By Elson Concepción Pérez
Granma daily staff writer
Wed, February 25, 2004

THE families of these young people from the United States are very happy that they are to study medicine in Cuba, according to Pastors for Peace leader Lucius Walker, on his arrival at José Martí Airport. He was accompanying six of the youth who are now part of the student body at the Latin American School of Medical Studies.

This new group is joining 60 other U.S. students from who are already studying at the school, some of them in their fifth or sixth (final) year.

The new group’s arrival kicked off the reception of 1,600 new students from 21 countries who are beginning their first year, and will join the 6,925 who are currently studying at the Latin American School of Medical Studies and in the 21 faculties of medicine in 13 provinces. Added to them are young people from the French-speaking countries of Haiti, Mali and Djibouti who are undertaking medical studies in Santiago de Cuba.

This means that as of March, more than 8,000 young people from Latin America, the Caribbean, some African countries and the United States will be receiving training as doctors in Cuban higher education centers.

The students speak

Having just arrived, the students from the United States were welcomed by Dr. José R. Miyar Barrueco, secretary of the Council of State and of the executive of the Latin American School of Medical Studies. They all spoke in turn of their feelings at being selected to study in Cuba.

"Very satisfied. We are happy to be here. It is a unique opportunity." (Danika from Chicago).

"I feel happy and proud, very motivated. It is a joy to be have been accepted to study here." (Nekita from Florida).

"It is the greatest and best experience of my life." (Warren from San Francisco, California).

"(I want to) take advantage of the opportunity to learn and get to know Cuban culture." (Evangeline from Atlanta, Georgia).

"Thank you to the Cuban government for having given us the opportunity to study in this country." (Vishal from New York).

"It is a great honor to be educated as a doctor to help my community." (Megan from Atlanta).

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Cuba Offers Free Med School Training

By Paul Shepard
AP National Writer
Wednesday Feb 14, 2001

Members of Congress from New York to the Mississippi Delta are looking for hundreds of low-income minority students to apply for free medical study in Cuba at the invitation of Fidel Castro.

"We have people in the Bronx trying to identify students for the program,'' said Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y. "This is an exciting idea and I just hope that politics don't get in the way.''

The State Department said it sees no legal problem with the plan.

The notion of sending as many as 500 low-income Americans to Cuba for medical study - half would be black - was hatched last year during a meeting in Havana between Castro and members of the Congressional Black Caucus. Castro offered slots in Cuba if the congressmen fill them.

"It would be hard for your government to oppose such a program,'' Castro said at the time. "Morally, how could they refuse?''

Blacks and Hispanics are underrepresented in the nation's 125 medical schools, according to studies published last fall in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The number of black, Hispanic and American Indian applicants fell by nearly 7 percent in 1999; of that year's freshman class, just 7.9 percent were black and 6.9 percent Hispanic.

The U.S. population is 12 percent black and 12 percent Hispanic.

Under the six-year Cuban program, medical training, texts, uniforms, meals and housing would be free - a sweet deal, since the average U.S. medical school student is $93,000 in debt after training.

Eligible students would be between the ages of 18 to 25. They would have to have at least a high school diploma and pass academic and physical exams. Spanish lessons would be provided if needed.

Emile Milne, spokesman for Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, said the program will be administered by the black caucus. Registration could begin this spring, though there are still plenty of questions for lawmakers who want to nominate students.

Among them: Will Cuban medical credentials be worth much in the United States? Many Cuban physicians who fled to the United States have had difficulty obtaining licenses to practice. And some physicians trained abroad are required to complete additional U.S. training.

"We would hope these doctors would be treated like any other doctors from another country,'' Serrano said. "We aren't asking anything special be done for them. If they have to pass extra tests to practice here, fine. We just wouldn't want them to be denied because of politics.''

Cuba has a surplus of doctors and dispatches thousands abroad each year to work in impoverished countries. More than 25,000 Cuban doctors have worked in 83 countries, Cuban officials said.

Luis Fernandez, a secretary for the Cuban Interests Section, Cuba's diplomatic presence in Washington, said of the project: "We hope to create relationships among our people. Something concrete. We are not asking for anything in exchange.''

But the public relations benefit is obvious for an island nation that has been under a U.S. trade embargo since shortly after the communists took power four decades ago.

"The offer is a propaganda ploy by the dictatorship,'' said Stephen Vermillion, a spokesman for Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., who opposes the program.