Three Vincentians graduated as physicians from Cuban universities last Thursday, with one of them, Winnique T. Edwards, awarded the University of Sciences and Medicine, Granma’s Prize for best All Round Graduating Foreign Student.
Edwards and Jahmito James graduated from that university, which came after a similar ceremony at which Angelique Kadeen Stewart graduated from the University of Medical Science, Carlos J. Finlay.
Stewart was also awarded the university’s prize for Most Integral Foreign Student for the Faculty of Medicine.
Ellsworth John, St. Vincent and the Grenadines ambassador to Cuba, in speaking to the new doctors, before the ceremony, expressed profound delight at their achievements.
He said that each of the three had shown great determination to not just complete their degrees, but also to make the very best of the opportunities in Cuba.
John said the three doctors have exemplified the spirit of the scholarship whereby they embraced the challenges of studying in Cuba and channelled their energies to learning every aspect of the country they made home for seven years, traveling the country and participating fully in activities organised by the school.
This, he noted, was evident by the awards they have received.
The three graduates also came in for high praises from their professors, who acknowledged the hard work and dedication of the doctors.
Edwards, James and Steward said they are looking forward to returning to St. Vincent and the Grenadines in mid August to begin their careers in medicine.
“The Embassy of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in Cuba wishes them the very best,” a press release said.
The journey now starts. More studies ect.
We must extend good and warm welcome to these our new Doctors when they come back home and hope that they will now add benefit to our health care however, at the same time, we must remember the bad state that Cuba is in. Reality is reality and to pretend to the world that Marxist ideology works is foolhardy.
The sad fact is this, Cuba is a country that time has truly forgotten! Cuba’s international health initiatives have faced criticism, with some rights groups accusing Havana of exploiting its own medical workers. In 2019, Brazil, Ecuador and Bolivia ended their agreements for medical cooperation with Cuba arguing exploitation concerns.
Medical staff working abroad in permanent medical missions reportedly receive only between 10 and 25 percent of their salaries, paid by the host country. The rest is allegedly sent to the Cuban government. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RjRqS5vl-Q
It is estimated that over 7,000 Cuban medical workers defected from such missions between 2006 and 2016. https://www.wsj.com/articles/mary-ogrady-cubas-slave-trade-in-doctors-1415573715
We all have to agree that nothing is free in this world, and at the end of the day, somebody has to pay for those who are receiving freebees! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcseyA2aL8k The Cuban people are indeed very hard pressed and many in Cuba would be only too glad to get out and go to the US or see the back of Fidel Castro’s failed Marxist experiment.
Well done to them, and I wish them the best for the future. I hope they will contribute to the betterment of the health of our country and people.
Very well done
Hope more young Vincentians aspire to become doctors nurses engineers and entrepreneurs..forget about becoming lawyers…lawyers is a synonym for corruption…look at Vincy and the wider Caribbean ..crime and poverty is rampant…we have to work with the young ones to change that “only way to become successful in Vincy is to become a lawyer” mentally…it’s suffocating us
Congratulations to the graduates.Hardwork,dedication and sacrifice along with God’s guidance always bring success.May God continue to lead and direct you as you begin your careers.Ptoud to be a vincy.
I pray that you all will remain humble , do your work with much sympathy, empathy, and with professionalism.. Respect , Respect, Respect your patients regardless of age, colour, religion. Do not assume you know everything, its good to listen to your patients and their families. I will not say my experiences ,but hey were not good ones and as a medical personel and worked in a developed country, what matters is how I treat people, and not how people treat me.
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