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Medical School Residence in Cuba
Medical education in Cuba.
The full six-year medical education for Cubans studying to become general physicians is free. The first five years are spent in a combination of classroom and clinical learning modules; the sixth year is an internship. After obtaining their MD, with few exceptions, graduates are required to complete a two-year residency program in family medicine. From that point forward, they may apply to a residency program in a second specialty. The number of slots is determined by need, and the residencies are awarded according to performance and academic record. These programs are also free of charge.
According to the World Health Organization, Cuba provides a doctor for every 170 residents, and has the second highest doctor-to-patient ratio in the world after Italy. Medical professionals are not paid high salaries by international standards. A doctor’s salary in the late 1990s was equivalent to about US$15–20 per month in purchasing power. Therefore, some prefer to work in different occupations, for example in the lucrative tourist industry where earnings can be much higher
There are now 23 medical schools in Cuba, up from only 3 in 1959 before the Cuban Revolution.
The problem with health care therefore is not the shortage of doctors, but rather the rundown hospitals and lack of modern equipment - that is post 50's vintage. If you are interested in seeing what one Canadian (Thunder Bay) Volunteer organization is doing about it - Google "MEMO:Cuba". MEMO is an acronym for "Medical Equipment Modernization Opportunity".
Medical School Residence in Cuba
Medical education in Cuba.
The full six-year medical education for Cubans studying to become general physicians is free. The first five years are spent in a combination of classroom and clinical learning modules; the sixth year is an internship. After obtaining their MD, with few exceptions, graduates are required to complete a two-year residency program in family medicine. From that point forward, they may apply to a residency program in a second specialty. The number of slots is determined by need, and the residencies are awarded according to performance and academic record. These programs are also free of charge.
According to the World Health Organization, Cuba provides a doctor for every 170 residents, and has the second highest doctor-to-patient ratio in the world after Italy. Medical professionals are not paid high salaries by international standards. A doctor’s salary in the late 1990s was equivalent to about US$15–20 per month in purchasing power. Therefore, some prefer to work in different occupations, for example in the lucrative tourist industry where earnings can be much higher
There are now 23 medical schools in Cuba, up from only 3 in 1959 before the Cuban Revolution.
The problem with health care therefore is not the shortage of doctors, but rather the rundown hospitals and lack of modern equipment - that is post 50's vintage. If you are interested in seeing what one Canadian (Thunder Bay) Volunteer organization is doing about it - Google "MEMO:Cuba". MEMO is an acronym for "Medical Equipment Modernization Opportunity".