Johannesburg - The Department of Health has congratulated the people of the Republic of Cuba on their 60th anniversary of international medical support and co-operation to save lives through dedicated medical brigades around the world.
According to the department, South Africa is among more than 100 nations that have benefited from social solidarity, excellent internationalism and medical co-operation with Cuba through medical doctors and specialists, which have immensely contributed to the country`s health system strengthening and pandemic response.
"The country has also benefited from this impactful support since 1997 through both medical specialists who have been seconded to the country and the Nelson Mandela Fidel Castro Medical Training Programme, which produced over 3000 medical doctors who graduated from various Cuban universities and were largely employed in underserved communities," said a department statement.
The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, said South Africa had benefited from this global health co-operation, which complements the country`s medical schools to produce the much-needed medical specialists in the quest of the government to address a shortage of doctors, especially in historically underserved areas.
He said South Africa would not have benefited from this fruitful co-operation if it were not for the efforts of the globally admired revolutionary freedom fighters of the two countries, Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro, who believed that health was the biggest wealth anybody could have.
"Having an educated and trained workforce is not sufficient; physical and mental well-being are necessary for productivity," said Dhlomo.
During the budget speech, Dhlomo touched on the Nelson Mandela Fidel Castro Programme, which has produced a total of 3027 doctors who, in the majority, were deployed to underserved communities, including rural areas and townships, as part of its founding objectives to alleviate the shortage of doctors in the country, especially in the historically disadvantaged communities, as well as to improve human resource capacity and strengthen the health-care system in the country.
"The National Department of Health will this year, in partnership with the University of Cape Town, hold a graduation for 410 doctors scheduled for July 7. This group forms part of the students who were in the integration programme in South Africa and wrote the Cuban National Examination in December 2022 and March 2023, respectively," said Dhlomo.
He said Cuban medical training had a primary health-care approach, and “as the department, we have started discussions with local medical universities to ensure that the medical training in South Africa has a strong PHC arm using the Cuban model, which has proven to be effective”.
The Star