The Medical Council of Guyana (MCG) made an official visit to Cuba between June 29th-July 6th 2019 to inspect the training programmes for doctors and said it made several recommendations.
A statement from the MCG in the name of its Chairman Dr. Navindranauth Rambaran said that the visit was coordinated with the support of the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was facilitated by Guyana’s Ambassador to Cuba, Halim Majeed.
During its visit, the statement said that the Council examined the Cuban undergraduate and postgraduate models of medical training which produce significant numbers of medical specialists and doctors who work in Guyana’s health care system.
“The Council made several recommendations to its Cuban counterparts for continued optimal
preparation of these practitioners to ensure they function effectively in Guyana”, the statement added.
The Council said it met with over 20 Guyanese postgraduate candidates currently training in Cuba. Meetings were also held with the Cuban Vice Minister of Health, the Director of the Centre for Collaboration and members also visited the Calixto Garcia Hospital and La Pradera Center in Havana.
“The Council is now positioned to improve its regulatory functions with respect to registration of Cuban medical specialists and Guyanese returning after training in Cuba and anticipates greater ease of uptake, of appropriately trained and skilled practitioners, into our health care system”, the statement added.
The MCG congratulated students currently studying in Cuba and reiterated its support for stronger collaboration between Guyana and Cuba in health care development.
Over a number of years, medical specialists here and others have raised concerns about the training of Guyanese doctors in Cuba and whether the curriculum is as rigorous as it should be.
