Cuba Trains U.S. Doctors

By Roberto Hernández
Photos: EmilioHerrera

Havana - Language and ideology pose no obstacle to learning for U.S. students Emily Brown, Mercedes Charles, Jack Lubka, and Ihsan N. Muhammad, who say they are grateful to Cuba for the opportunity to enroll in the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) based on the idea of helping the needy wherever they may be.
   “I am not going to say that either one of the two countries has the best answer,” said Lubka, referring to medical education programs in the United States and Cuba.
   “It is a good opportunity to use the differences in the two education systems in treating our patients,” the young man from North Dakota told The Havana Reporter.
   “There is no other university where I would like to study medicine,” affirmed Brown, who, like her three compatriots, is a first-year student at ELAM.
   A native of Pennsylvania, Brown explained that unlike most medical students in the United States, she will not be a slave to money upon graduation, because she will return to her country in 2017 debt-free thanks to Cuba.
   “Because I will not have a debt of 250,000 to half a million dollars, I will be able to help my friends and family who do not have a doctor at this time,” she said.
   U.S. citizens should not be afraid of studying at ELAM, from which 67 doctors from 15 U.S. states have graduated, she commented.
   Currently 114 students from the United States are studying at ELAM after being selected by the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO), founded and headed by the Rev. Lucius Walker until his death.
   “The education here is more than good, and even prepares us for obtaining our license in the United States,” she added. 
“If that were not enough, we are trained to provide help in any situation, and not just to people who can pay for it.”

The United States has a good healthcare system, but it is very difficult for people who are poor or do not have health insurance, she said.
   Cubans can receive medical attention at any time of the day, and their treatment is not based on the level of their income or their skin color, said Charles.
   The big difference between the U.S. and Cuban education systems is that the first one prioritizes treating the patient without a large display of high technology. “Anybody can use a machine,” she commented.
   For her part, Brown said that she will be better trained because of the amount of contact she has with patients in Cuba. Patients here have not been bothered by the fact that she is from the United States, she noted.
   “I feel free to say that I am from the United States and no one bothers or reprehends me,” affirmed Muhammad. His
only problem, he says, is that in the summer it is harder to find the vegetables and fruits he needs as a vegetarian.
   Lubka complained about rapid-fire Cuban Spanish, but noted that learning the language will help him to treat Spanish-speaking patients back home.

Referring to their dreams upon arriving in Havana in 2010, Emily said she wanted to learn about Cuba, learn the language, and learn medicine, all of which are facilitated by ELAM’s guarantee of food, books, and a dorm, she noted.
   “ELAM has allowed me to make friends from all over the world,” said Lubka, who shares his dorm room with students from five other countries.
   “Being able to talk to the Sahrawi girls has made me realize that we are more alike every day,” said Mercedes Charles. Meanwhile, Ihsan said his friends include students from Belize, Sao Tome and Principe, and Malaysia.
   “I feel lucky to meet students from all over the world,” said Brown. The wide range of customs seen at the school convinced her that world peace can be attained, because all human beings have the same hopes, she commented.
   “I used to live in very violent neighborhoods, and here I feel perfectly safe, because the Cubans help us,” she said.

ELAM in Statistics:
opened: February 1999, with an enrollment of 1,900 young people, chiefly from Central America, devastated in 1998 by Hurricane Mitch, which left 19,000 people dead or missing.
Founded: November 15, 1999, by then-President Fidel Castro, during the 9th Ibero-American Summit.
Graduates: 9,959 in seven graduating classes. About 1,000 doctors are expected to graduate in July 2012.
Facilities: Initially, all students were in classes at the ELAM buildings in western Havana, which cover 1.2 million square meters. Since 2005, third-year students attend classes in any of 21 medical faculties nationwide, studying side by side with Cuban students until they graduate.
Current enrollment: 1,399 students from 89 countries in prep to second-year courses. A total of 18,744 students from 108 countries are enrolled, and three-quarters of them are the children of workers and farmers.

Founding rector Juan Carrizo Comments: 
The ELAM is marked by its humanism and internationalism, Carrizo said in an interview with The Havana Reporter.
In the 12 years since its founding, the school has been a standard-bearer of internationalism for the Cuban healthcare system, he said.  While recognizing donations to the school by institutions and individuals and the existence of five aid programs, Carrizo said that ELAM’s costs are paid by the State.

September 23, 2011
Source: Prensa Latina