Nice photo of 8 US graduates of Cuban med school

[roody]

http://18thcubacaravan.blogspot.com/

[LostinVA]

1. Good for them

[roody]

2. What they had to do to receive their free education, was

commit to serve in an underserved community. No written contracts, just their honor.

[roody]

3. k

[bemildred]

4. Nice looking bunch of doctors there. nt

[malaise]

5. Now watch the AMA

block their right to practice for as long as they can.

[bobbolink]

11. Did you see that the dr who graduated 2 years ago is practicing in NYC?

Cuba prepared them well.

They're going to do great!

[malaise]

19. We have dozens of doctors trained in Cuba

but the Medical Association here with their elitist views tried hard to prevent them from practicing.

[bobbolink]

20. Whatever. The one who graduated 2 years ago is practicing. That was the first grad,I thik.

Whatever you want to think about it.

:eyes:

[The Backlash Cometh]

30. And if they do get a job, most likely they'll be wired for the rest of their lives.

[TahitiNut]

6. I don't see a one that I'd not like caring for my health.

Some great looking young folks, there ... and surely more creative in obtaining their education than most.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_4uCLTa3rBKY/RqecodXABlI/AAAAAAAAAO0/8chgXKV4lTw/s1600-h/2007+Med+School+Grads.jpg

[bobbolink]

12. Exactly my thought! I'm so proud of them all!

Thanks, Castro. You done good on this one!

I just wish this was in the US media.

[TahitiNut]

14. I love win-win solutions ... and this one is win-win-win-win.

How could ANY sane person not admire them for this? Brilliant!

[bobbolink]

16. I'm teary-eyed from seeing their photo. I'm such a sentimental sap. ^_^

Admire them? Hell, yeah! I have thought about it a lot, and it would take a whole lot of courage to just take off for another country, let alone a country *prohibited* to our own citizens, and have the spine to stick with it, learn a new language, a new culture, *plus* a very strenuous study course!

There aren't even any emoticons that express the admiration!

[Judi Lynn]

28. Don't expect to see that in the near future, do you? Pity. It's a WONDERFUL idea. n/t

[bobbolink]

31. ? huh?

Expect to see what?

I'd answer more questions on DU if they weren't so cryptic.

[Judi Lynn]

32. Ah, ha ha ha. Hmmm. I was responding to your post #12, concerning

my belief you won't be seeing our corporate media covering tremendous stories like this too often!

It would be such a valuable idea to use here, in this country, underwritten by us, the taxpayers, too. What a damned shame.

I've loved ever story I've seen, since I started following news on Cuba in 2000, and they are few and far between, of American students getting the chance to get the critically important education they would NEVER receive otherwise.

I've read mostly stories of people in large urban centers, but there have also been stories I've found like a Mexican immigrant young woman, daughter of migrant workers, in Florida, and a Native American student from the Southwest, years ago. Beautiful.

[bobbolink]

33. Ah, OK.... I didn't understand what you were referring to. I don't really expect

to see real reporting in the US in my lifetime. I know some people from formerly Communist countries, and they are appalled. They say that at least with communism, they *knew* they were getting propaganda, and learned to read between the lines. They can't understand USians thinking they are actually getting factual news.

Am I reading you right..... A Native American from the southwest got a medical degree from Cuba? I'd really be interested in knowing about that! I keep trying to spread the info about free medical education there, because I think it's especially valuable for Latinos and Indians in the southwest, but people here don't know about it. Spanish-speaking Latinos are a natural, but Indians can learn Spanish, and then practice in the Pueblos and the reservations. They have some wonderful wellness centers here, and having their own doctors would be so great!

[Judi Lynn]

34. I ran across it doing research when I used to post on the old CNN US/Cuba relations board,

which closed around the time D.U. opened, probably around 2001.

I'll take a look and see if there's anything on it around. This would have been an article in a newspaper announcing the student's plans to go to Cuba, like the article I found on the daughter of Mexican migrant workers in Florida.

[Judi Lynn]

35. Here's an article from Santa Fe, New Mexico. It doesn't identify anyone specifically, yet

it appears there are multiple scholarships from that state. Reading the article, you will see the heavy handed attempt by the _Bush administration to really ream the American students in Havana, making life far, far more difficult for them, just for the hell of it!

Students plan on getting degrees in Cuba
By Staci Matlock
The New Mexican (Santa Fe)
July 12, 2004


Come sanctions or Bush administration policies, Albuquerque resident Belisario Bejarano plans on returning to Cuba in August to continue medical school at the Latin American School for Medical Sciences.

"There is nothing that is going to get in the way of my education , whether it be (President) Bush or the U.S. government," Bejarano, 20, said, while in the Duke City on break after his third year of medical studies. "Nothing is going to get in the way of me learning to save lives."

The same goes for Santa Fean Tatyana Guerrero-Pezzano , who left a medical school in Havana on June 29, as did many of the other 80 U.S. students attending the six-year program on full scholarship from Cuban leader Fidel Castro. The dictator offered scholarships to students from low-income areas in the United States and Latin American countries on condition they return to work as physicians in Cuba’s underserved areas. The U.S. Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization, also known as Pastors for Peace, sponsored American students in their travel to the medical school.

The American students who left Cuba two weeks ago in the midst of their final exams did so after they were told the Office of Foreign Assets Control, a branch of the U.S. Treasury Department, had issued a warning to American travelers. As part of continuing sanctions against Cuba, the government told U.S. travelers - including fully hosted ones such as the medical students - that they would be considered in violation of federal policy if they remained in Cuba after June. Many of the students, such as Guerrero-Pezzano , changed their plane tickets to fly home early.
(snip)

She said earlier news reports described the students as "fleeing" from Cuba. That wasn’t so, she maintained. School staff and students were operating on the best information they had at the time, before the U.S. government offered the extension.

More:
http://www.ifconews.org/MedicalSchool/articles/press-coverage.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From the same site:
Medical School Scholarship Program
at the Latin American School of Medical Sciences, Havana, Cuba
Program overview
http://www.ifconews.org/MedicalSchool/main.htm



Photos:
http://hometown.aol.com/juliancindy/medschool2.html

[bobbolink]

38. Thank you very much for the articles! That was during the time * was trying

to shut down the program from the US side. If I remember correctly, it was the Congressional Black Caucus that stepped in and kept it functioning. I'm so grateful to them for that, and can't understand why the rest of Congress couldn't have done the same.

I noticed the first article got something wrong --- she reported that the graduating students would have to stay in Cuba and practice there. So interesting how things like that can get published.

From the second article, I didn't know that there were 250 scholarships offered! I hope they get more students to fill them! This is such a fantastic opportunity. Thanks again for finding those!

[roody]

7. Some of them had no Spanish language before they

went to Cuba. They took months of intensive language before they could start studying medicine (part of their free education.)

[bobbolink]

13. When young people are given the opportunity, they can rise to the occasion,

and be super dedicated.

Best to all these fine young folks! :applause:

[BlooInBloo]

15. That was the easiest part of their education. lol!

[IChing]

8. Looks like they might blog at the Daily Kos or DU

Obviously, they need to be followed and watched by either
Bill O'really's gestapo or homeland security. Pretty sure
the IRS will check their returns closely for many years.

:sarcasm: or maybe not.

[Tim4319]

9. Wow, even Cuba seems like a better alternative than the US.

[bobbolink]

22. The US is 37th in health care in the world... I think Cuba is about 39th

But their infant mortality and longevity is better than the US.

Even with the imbargo.

Their education system seems pretty good, to be providing free medical education for 25 countries!

[Tim4319]

24. Wow!

We need to get our act together. I hope whom ever will be our new leader, can really move this country forward!

[bobbolink]

25. As Moore says, "The US ranks just below Slovenia"

Use the quote often, use it well.

:hi:

[bobbolink]

26. Interesting fact from Moore's website:

Fairness of financial contribution: When WHO measured the fairness of financial contribution to health systems, countries lined up differently. The measurement is based on the fraction of a household’s capacity to spend (income minus food expenditure) that goes on health care (including tax payments, social insurance, private insurance and out of pocket payments). Colombia was the top-rated country in this category, followed by Luxembourg, Belgium, Djibouti, Denmark, Ireland, Germany, Norway, Japan and Finland.

Colombia achieved top rank because someone with a low income might pay the equivalent of one dollar per year for health care, while a high- income individual pays 7.6 dollars.

http://www.who.int/inf-pr-2000/en/pr2000-44.html

[bobbolink]

27. Cuba ranks waaaay ahead of US in "fair mechanism"

In North America, Canada rates as the country with the fairest mechanism for health system finance – ranked at 17-19, while the United States is at 54-55. Cuba is the highest among Latin American and Caribbean nations at 23-25.

[Horse with no Name]

10. When you consider that a great deal of getting into medical school

here in the US is how much money you have, it really does limit it for some.
With that being said, there are programs in the US that forgive loans if you agree to serve in underserved/rural areas here.
It also needs to be factored in that the US is declining in some IMPORTANT specialties--pediatrics, oncologists, etc...which will greatly impact the healthcare needs in this country in the next 20 years (with or without universal coverage).
I saw a special on television talking about the oncologist shortage and basically it said that in the next 20 years that 1 in 3 people will have cancer and there will not be enough specialists to handle that.
We have a couple of towns around here with pretty good pediatric practices (rural) that rival the big cities. I had a conversation with one of the pediatricians and he said that they all feared the fact that they were ALL in their 50's and would be retiring in the next 10-20 years and there wasn't anyone wanting to come to a rural area. In a lot of the metro areas, hospitalist and intensivist programs are getting very popular for the residents.
I applaud these kids who took the initiative to get their education elsewhere.
It is a foolhardy plan to deny them a chance to practice here in the US since we need doctors desperately.

[BlooInBloo]

18. *Getting in* (= admission offer?) depends on how rich you are? Never heard that...

... I thought it was all grades & MCATS.

Whether you can afford to go, ONCE OFFERED ADMISSION is of course a different issue.

[Horse with no Name]

21. Depends on the medical school

Money is definitely a factor in getting into medical school, especially the top tier schools.
The lower tiered schools aren't as difficult to get in, but again, money is always a factor.
There is ALWAYS the competition...to get in, to get a good residency, etc.
There aren't any federal grants that pay for med school--it's loans or family money the whole way.

[ikojo]

17. I am way cynical....They might provide free

or low cost health care for awhile but eventually they'll get sucked into the money machine. I'd like to check up on them in ten years or so and see if they still practice in under served areas.

[roody]

23. k

[bobbolink]

29. Could we have one more recommend for some fine grads? Please?

Error: You've already recommended that thread.

[Judi Lynn]

36. K & R, with short comments by Julian Bond on American students getting their educations in Havana:

Julian Bond at Havana's Latin American Medical School

By Gail Reed

January 30, 2007

~snip~
Cuba Health Reports spoke with Julian Bond about the health situation in the USA and how his trip to Cuba relates to his broader commitments.

Cuba Health Reports (CHR): Who are the people without adequate health care in the USA today? Who’s in the ranks of the 47 million uninsured?

Julian Bond (JB): The majority of the people without heath care in the United States are poor people, and disproportionate numbers of them are people of color. The United State’s medical and health services are generally fee-for-service plans. The level of care or medical attention one receives is based on ability to pay. Although there are public programs for the poor and elderly, many Americans still do not receive adequate care.

CHR: Recent reports indicate that there will be a serious shortage of family physicians in the USA within the next five years. How will this affect minority communities in particular?

JB: Minority communities are already underserved in the United States. On Indian reservations, in racially-segregated ghettoes, rural areas, and other locales where the poor are concentrated, people typically suffer from a lack of care and caregivers.

CHR: Were you able to meet some of the US students at the Latin American Medical School? What was your impression of them?

JB: We were more than impressed with the students we met. It is unusual for me, at least, to meet a group of young people who are both idealistic and willing to suffer for a greater good. The handicaps of studying in a foreign country in a language which may not be your mother tongue and living under much more harsh circumstances than a US medical student would were ample evidence to all of us that this was an unusual group.

CHR: From what you were able to ascertain in Cuba, is the Latin American Medical School training a “different kind of doctor” than we are accustomed to seeing? If so, how?

JB: From talking to the students we met it was clear they would be a very different kind of doctor. Our conversations with Cuban health officials and faculty at the school said to us that an aim of the school is just that – to produce practitioners who are not just skilled as physicians, but who carry with them a concern for the underserved and forgotten.

CHR: The US medical students are in classes with students from 29 countries of Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa. What would you hope they might learn as Americans from that experience?

JB: I am sure the American students have already had their horizons widened. This must be a great out-of-classroom learning experience for them – mixing with people from many countries and cultures while pursuing common goals.

CHR: Assuming these graduates pass the US boards, do you think they can make a contribution to US underserved communities?

JB: I know they will make a great contribution, and I am trying to expand the NAACP’s educational scholarships or raise additional funds so these young people can have the same access to Board prep courses that are available to students educated in the United States.

http://www.medicc.org/publications/cuba_health_reports/009.php

[bobbolink]

39. Great interview! Thanks for finding and posting this!

I"m so proud of those students.... how hard that must be!

And, I'm proud of the CBC, for their dogged determination to keep it going! Wish they had more support.

It's interesting that there are different reports of the numbers of countries represented: from 25 to 29. I'm rather interested in what countries.

This is such a coup for Cuba, and to think the US could have done this so many years ago!

[Judi Lynn]

37. Great Wikipedia on this medical school!

Latin American School of Medicine (Cuba)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

ELAM (Cuba) logoEscuela Latinoamericana de Medicina (ELAM), formerly Escuela Latinoamericana de Ciencias Médicas (in Spanish; in English: Latin American School of Medicine (LASM), formerly Latin American School of Medical Sciences), is a major international medical school in Cuba and a prominent part of the Cuban healthcare system.

Established in 1999 and operated by the Cuban government, ELAM has been described as possibly being the largest medical school in the world by enrollment with approx. 10,000 or 12,000 students from 27 or 29 countries reported as enrolled in 2006/early 2007. All those enrolled are international students from outside Cuba and mainly come from Latin America and the Caribbean as well as Africa. The school also accepts students from the United States - 91 were reportedly enrolled as of January 2007. Tuition, accommodation and board are free, and a small stipend is provided for students.<1><2><3><4><5>
(snip)

ELAM (Cuba) logoEscuela Latinoamericana de Medicina (ELAM), formerly Escuela Latinoamericana de Ciencias Médicas (in Spanish; in English: Latin American School of Medicine (LASM), formerly Latin American School of Medical Sciences), is a major international medical school in Cuba and a prominent part of the Cuban healthcare system.

Established in 1999 and operated by the Cuban government, ELAM has been described as possibly being the largest medical school in the world by enrollment with approx. 10,000 or 12,000 students from 27 or 29 countries reported as enrolled in 2006/early 2007. All those enrolled are international students from outside Cuba and mainly come from Latin America and the Caribbean as well as Africa. The school also accepts students from the United States - 91 were reportedly enrolled as of January 2007. Tuition, accommodation and board are free, and a small stipend is provided for students.<1><2><3><4><5>
(snip)

In June 2000, a US Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) delegation visited Cuba to meet with Castro. Representative Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) mentioned to Castro that his district had a shortage of doctors, who responded by offering full scholarships for US nationals from Mississippi at ELAM. Later that same June, in a Washington, D.C. meeting with the CBC, the Cuban Minister of Public Health expanded the offer to all districts represented by the CBC. At a September 2000 speech event at Riverside Church, New York City, Castro publicly announced a further expanded offer which was reported as allowing several hundred places at ELAM for medical students from low-income communities from any part of the USA. Reports of the size of this offer varied in the US press - 250 or 500 places were suggested with perhaps half reserved for African-Americans and half for Hispanics and Native Americans. The ELAM offer to US students was classified as a "cultural exchange" program by the US State Department in order to avoid the restrictions of the U.S. embargo against Cuba. The first intake of US students into ELAM occurred in the Spring of 2001, with 10 enrolling into the pre-medical program.<18><20><21><4>

In 2004, the legality of the presence of US students at ELAM was threatened by tightened restrictions against travel to Cuba by US nationals under the administration of President George W. Bush. A CBC campaign led by Representatives Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Charles Rangel (D-NY) with 27 other members of Congress persuaded Secretary of State Colin Powell to exempt ELAM from the tightened restrictions.<3>
(snip)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_American_School_of_Medicine_(Cuba)