93 graduate from Guyana/Cuban Medical Scholarship Programme

Aug 30, 2015 News

Ninety three students who completed their stint in the Guyana/ Cuban Medical Scholarship Programme and who are likely to commence service within a short while participated in an official graduation ceremony.
The event was held at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, and saw the attendance of Government Officials, including Minister of Health Dr. George Norton and Cuban Ambassador Julio Marchante.
Delivering the feature address at the ceremony Minister of State, Joseph Harmon said he is looking forward to the continuation of the programme.
“We are proud to inherit this programme and in …many years to come, it will be stronger,” Minister Harmon said.
The Minister told the graduates that they have completed their studies at a very important juncture in Guyana’s history.
“We have a new government that is committed and resolved to providing opportunities, facilities and services equally, to our citizens on the coastlands as well as in the hinterland,” the Minister said.
He further stated that a key element of this commitment is the delivery of health care services, as it is the administration’s belief that citizens in the hinterland and rural coastal communities are entitled to the same quality of services and facilities that are available in the urban centers.
“We will do well to take a keen look at the overall Cuban Health Care System, second to none in the Caribbean and perhaps even Latin America, in developing a strategy for health care delivery to our hinterland and rural Guyana,” the Minister of State noted.
Moving forward, Minister Harmon said the training techniques and systems, which the graduates benefitted from, would help the government in establishing a viable national health care system.
In an interview following the graduation ceremony, Dr. Norton spoke of the future of the Graduate Guyana/Cuban medical programme, which is in its closing stages. According to the Minister, there will now be a shift towards more Post-Graduate programmes.
“We have so many graduate General Medical officers, the University of Guyana is here to stay, especially the school of medicine. I would prefer for us to invite specialist doctors from abroad to come as Professors at the University,” Dr. Norton said.
The Cuban Ambassador, in his address, urged the graduates to promote the moral and ethical values they would have inculcated while studying in Cuba.
Kaieteur News spoke to several of the new Doctors. One 25-year old, Dr. Steffi Beaton, stated her determination to fulfill her Oath and save as many lives as possible.
“The journey was long, with many challenges, but at the end I am satisfied with what I did. I worked hard to make myself and my parents proud. I made a lot of friends and I’m not going to take this as the end of my journey but will continue focusing and studying and try my best to be a good doctor and save lives,” the beaming Doctor said.
The 2015 graduation also had within its ranks Dr. Shivanne Persaud, daughter of Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud. She was also enthusiastic in being granted the chance to serve Guyana with the knowledge she had gained. The 25 year old described her experience as traveling through uncharted waters.
“There were no maps, everything was different. It was my first time away from home. I prepared as best as I could, but when I got there I learnt that no preparation can be sufficient when it comes with dealing with the real deal,” she said.
Now that the journey had finally ended, however, Persaud reaffirmed her Hippocratic Oath, something she promised to adhere to as well as other professional standards.
The Governments of Guyana/Cuba Specialist Awards Scholarships Programme was established back in 2001 by then President Bharrat Jagdeo in a bid to present opportunities and address the shortfalls in the local Health sector. Its establishment stemmed from a visit Jagdeo paid to Cuba’s former leader Fidel Castro.
The scholarships were established in several disciplines, including Medicine and Engineering. Among the specifications for each batch sent out was the presence of students of Indigenous descent. They were also given a stipend of Cdn $50 per month and would also liaison with a student affairs officer in Cuba, who was appointed by the Government.

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93 graduate from Guyana/Cuban Medical Scholarship Programme

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