MBOMBELA – The Mpumalanga Department of Health assures parents and relatives of students pursuing their medicine careers in Cuba that all is well and the students are continuing with their studies.
“We will continue supporting those studying to be doctors in Cuba, the rumours that the students will be brought back are not true,” explained Mr Dumisani Malamule, spokesperson for the department.
The department currently has a total of 228 students who are studying medicine in Cuba and has vowed to continue in their support until they complete their studies.
This comes after the recent memorandum from national health that has instructed the provincial department to stop sending medical doctors to Cuba.
Mpumalanga News learned that some parents were devastated and uncertain of their children’s future while overseas as some rumours claim that some of the would-be doctors were taken to other countries without parental consent.
One of the parents, who spoke on condition of anonymity, wanted the department to clarify what was happening to his son, who was among the 100 students who left late last year.
“We were ecstatic when my son received the news of being among the select few to pursue their dreams there, and now we are not sure what is really happening to them.
“Will they still continue their studies? Where and when are they moving from Cuba?” she asked.
Malamule confirmed that the provincial department of health has received a memo from the National Department of Health that advises all provinces to put on hold the recruitment of students on the Expanded Medical Training Programme to Cuba.
“It will be remembered that the students who are recruited to study medicine in Cuba are recruited to two programmes. One is the scholarship programme which is subsidized by the Cuban Government and the other is the Expanded Programme where provinces pay the full unsubsidized costs of the training,” explained Malamule.
“The Mpumalanga Department of Health will therefore continue to recruit students on the Cuba scholarship programme in 2016. An advert would be issued to this effect around April and recruitment will commence thereafter,” he adds.
Malamule divulged that the suspension of the recruitment on the Expanded programme was mainly due to the economic conditions in South Africa and the endeavour to contain expenditure.
