Issued by: GCIS
22 February 2000
In an attempt to foster relations with her Cuban counterpart, Health Minister, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang visited Cuba in February this year.
Dr Gwen Ramokgopa and Dr B Goqwana health MECs of Gauteng and Eastern Cape respectively joined her in Cuba. The other purpose thereof was to visit South African students studying medicine in Cuba. Discussions between the two Health Ministries included:
The first batch of Cuban doctors working in South Africa arrived in February 1996. The 96 Cuban doctors arrived to alleviate the shortage of doctors especially in rural areas. Subsequently, a group of 110 was sent in the same year. Since then groups of 75 doctors with 24 lecturers and 123 have been deployed in South Africa.
The doctors obtained limited registration with the then Interim National Medical and Dental Council of South Africa as General Surgeons, Gynaecologist, Orthopaedic Surgeons, Anaesthetists, Internal Medicine practitioners, Paediatricians and Family Physicians. They are distributed according to the provinces' needs, except for the Western Cape and have fitted well with communities they serve. Since their arrival referrals in health centres they work in, have dropped dramatically, some of the hospitals have opened new departments and they are constantly supervised. Cuba agreed to train South African students in medicine. The first group of 10 students left in January 1997 to be trained in Cuba. Followed by groups of 33 and 25 with the last group of 66 leaving in September 1999.
A need for further collaboration on establishing exchange programmes was identified on the following:
A need to bring more Cuban doctors to South Africa was also discussed. The MECs have requested for more Cuban doctors. Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang requested Cuban researchers directly involved in AIDS vaccine programme to come to South Africa for exchange of ideas and research. Other activities of the trip included visits to research institutions, rehabilitation hospitals, Bio-technology research centres, tropical research centres and the Amejeiras Hospital, which is Cuba's national reference hospital. They also met South African students studying in Cuba as well as the Foreign Minister of Cuba. Results show, South Africans studying medicine in Cuba are doing very well in their studies, with the first group already in their third year.
Issued by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) for the National Health Department.
Contact: Ms Nothemba Dlali
Phone: 012 312 0713/ 082 775 4791
Fax: 012 325 7813/4