Two Caribbean groups have deemed recent negative statements about Cuban-trained doctors an attempt to deny poor, working class people the opportunity to pursue their dream to become doctors.
This retort is coming from the Cuban Barbadian Friendship Association and the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration, as they expressed disappointment with Dr Carlos A. Chase, president of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners (BAMP), for his statement against Cuban-trained doctors.
The statement said, among other things, that those who worked with the Cuban-trained doctors were concerned about their basic lack of medical knowledge, practical skills and confidence examining patients.
“Our movements demand that BAMP apologize to the Cuban-trained doctors,” said David Denny, president of the Cuban Barbadian Friendship Association, which organizes most of the scholarships for Barbadians to study in Cuba.
What puzzles me About these Doctors assertion about the Cuban trained Doctors is, even the Americans admits that Cuba has some of the best Doctors in the world. How come that the Doctors that are trained in CUBA are considered to be so backward in the region? I would be in total shock if the doctors that are trained at UWI are better than those trained in CUBA.
Ha ha ha. Stop the naivete people. Don’t you think the medical boards network with each other?
So why should Dr. E or R feel vindicated if a problem is identified and a decision is taken to tackle it, by lambasting, discrediting or through constructive teamwork???????
Do you all really think that the BAMP statement was coincidental? People are bringing up the 80’s and 90’s… so what happened over all those years up to 2011? A span of 31 years?????
Weren’t these very same cuban-trained docs home during the summer working with our established doctors and practising at the hospitals over 7 years!
Was someone waiting for ‘10,000’ Caribbean people to graduate over a 20 to 30 year period and then to say that the cuban system is no good? What happened with the first 20, 40, 500?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
Is it onlu Cuban trained Doctors who has incidence of Mal Practice at the Hospitals? Cuba has the best health treatment in the world, and their Doctors does not have the best training? Something is wrong. Well I can say the we in the Portsmouth area can boast of a Cuban Doctor and he is really good. He saves lives not take lives through malpractice. God continue to bless our Cuban trained Doctor in Portsmouth. I have had issues with non cuban trained Doctors in PMH. I’m not saying that an art student should do medicine but cuban medical training is good. They talking about Ross Student, Roos standard is harder than some of the Medical schools in the US. However I’ve know of a Ross professor who walks with a note inhis wallet which reads” I do not want any ROSS Doctors to touch my body”. He teaches there.Tell me about it. God b;ess our Cuban Doctors and Nurses.
Dr. Julian is a good Dr. and he is Cuban born and trained. The chief surgeon at PMH is Cuban born and trained. The Pope, Chavez,Fidel and many elite Americans including Naomi Campbell and other nationals haven chosen the Cuban Med system…
Bottom line: there is nothing wrong with the Cuban Med system. It’s all about the persons who are “politically” selected to be-come Doctors. A.K.A Madness…
As far as i know it, Med is about passion, one has to want to be a Doctor and not because mammy and daddy vote will allow..
But wait a minute. who said that people like Doctors Emmanuel and Chase haven’t made mistakes as doctors? Give me aq break! I know of a number of doctors here (not Cuban trained) who are more respected and experienced than Dr Emmanuel and have made serious (even lifethreatening) erors on patients. That will happen from time to time, as unfortunate as it is, and particularly since we do not have enough specialists doctors here to deal with certain medical conditions and many of these doctors are asked to deal with situations in which they are not speciallly trained for.
But for these people with their elitist and backward thinking mentalitty to throw the train at all Cuban-trained doctors if frankly very PATHETIC and should be condemed in the strongest terms. I always ged the question when these so-called UWI trained academics push up their chests as if they are the brightests persons on the planet, I ask: What major contribution has UWI made to propelling Caribbean development in innovation and technology (in any field, except maybe literature and political science-the TALKING FIELDS)?
All other countries have leapfrogged in their development through their universities centred on strong research programs. What has UWI done for us more than produce a bunch of eloquent TALKERS? We do have many examples of these no-good talkers here and frankly unless these guys start doing something meanningful to advance our societies, I would prefer not hear from them at all!!!
I have followed the comments of Dr. Emanuel and he doesn’t in any way condemn the Cuba Medical program or espouse an elitist view as to whom should become a doctor or that some medical schools are better than others-although, this is a proven fact like any schools aligned to any other disciplines. For example, I would prefer do a Forensic science degree at Michigan State than Penn state.
My take is if doctors around the region is decrying Cuba-trained doctors; then, instead of our calling for them to make a public apology, we perhaps need to stop and take a deeper look into the program and the type of doctors it produces.
Dr. Emanuel’s and Dr. Chase’s comments have brought to light some of my misgiving about the Cuba program, and thus the caliber of doctors it vomits. We all have heard the horror and threatening stories of malpractices by many Cuba-trained doctors at the PMH.
One of my many concerns with the Cuba program is its passing creteria. What it takes for someone to be deemed a general practioner under the program?
I always question why every one who studys medicine in Cuba comes back with a doctor degree. I haven’t heard of anyone who has failed; however, I know of prospective doctors from other top-notch medical schools like Univerity of Washington even Ross University, who have to take courses over and over and some have even dropped out. Mark you these students, many with similar or better IQ, scientific background, etc than those we sent to Cuba,failed and have to redo courses; but those genius we send to Cuba to study medicine in a foreign language.
Sometimes, I asked myself how students who have never done one of the core sciences go to Cuba and are thrust into deep chemistry like Organic Chemistry or Biochemistry or deep biology like Genetic , Molecular Biology, Anatomy classes, all in a foreign language, and survive. I studied FS at University and though, I left Dominica with B’s in A-levels Bio and Chem, I still grappled with these subjects. And guess what, they were taught in English.
Well, perhaps these business and arts students who are selected to go to Cuba, with just a mere CXC II in Integrated Science are just better at picking up these esoteric contents in such courses than I.
I think if we are aiming for excellent and erudite doctors; we need to ensure pre-requites in the course sciences should be on the front burner in our selecting of students to do medicine in Cuba. I don’t believe that a students should just jump from business or arts to Medicine-that’s rediculou. A Grade I or II in Integrated Science, which is a watered-down science in my opnion-now that I am teaching it, should not be creterion of selection into the Medical program in Cuba.
I can recall in the late 90’s, early 2000’s, 20 students were sent to do medicine in Cuba; a friend of mine who did business at DGS; who didn’t even get a Grade I in Integrated Science was among the bunch- praise, God she is working in one of the other islands because not my bo-bo she would plaster.
Dr. Emmanuel is correct, when he said that the government need not make one’s studying medicine in Cuba political, but rather he/she should be chosen based on his her qualifications, which should include a strong foundations in the core science subjects- Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
If you are ignorant about what you say (or write), then why not seek clarification before making your silly staements. Yes there are many students wo have failed medical, and other courses in Cuba, and many more who have had to repeat certain courses. The fact is the Cuban medical program is 7 years, more than UWI or most other universities (Ross course is 1year and 6 months)so it goes to say that any student beginning the course WILL have the opportunity to get more than a fair ammount of time to learn the main science subjects to study medicine. In fact, in many universities, there are pre-med courses before one begins medical school. In Cuba all is integrated, including an extensive pracrical program where the students are exposed to the hospital setting from about mid-way of their course. Obviously, as in any field, a few bad eggs may slip through the cracks (and I must say that I know of quite a few UWI trained ones that I would think twice before ging to, the same as some Cuba-trained grads), but one must admit that there are too some very good ones (who are some of the best we have in DA and the region).
So dude, stop your nonsense because it is obvious that your comments are riddled with inaccuracies and pettiness all stemming again from that elitist feel that some of you guys have about studying in certain universities and countries. Until you prove your worth in the workplace then it all comes down to naught, anyway.
I’m not at Ross but i thinkk i can safely say there’s no certified medical programme for a year and 6 months only…
some of us a too quite to jump into defense mode…if you notice from these lines…I was merely seeking some clarity about the Cuban criteria of becoming a doctor… read with understanding, my bro.
One of my many concerns with the Cuba program is its passing creteria. What it takes for someone to be deemed a general practioner under the program?
“One of my many concerns with the Cuba program is its passing criteria. What it takes for someone to be deemed a general practitioner under the program?”
“I always question why every one who studys medicine in Cuba comes back with a doctor degree. I haven’t heard of anyone who has failed; however, I know of prospective doctors from other top-notch medical schools like Univerity of Washington even Ross University….”
“Sometimes, I asked myself how students who have never done one of the core sciences go to Cuba and are thrust into deep chemistry…”
Thanks for the clarification though. But like Dr. E, I am still upholding the fact that a better selective process including a strong foundation in the core sciences should be adopted in order to choose individuals for the Cuban medical program, and that was my thesis of my article….I think you were probably too busy being on the defensive to uproot that from my writing.
N:B: Before students are accepted to Ross, they need to have a first degree in one of the core sciences or a pre-med degree- so a year and the half is added to a solid foundation in the core sciences- which the students would have already done and don’t have to repeat- plus, the students have to do 1 – 2 yrs residency in Miami as the 2nd phase of their program- hence 7 yrs – 8 yrs in total; 4 for 1st degree and 3-4 for MD degree. Get you fact straight. You cannot be talking about getting fact straight when u are doing the same…
Well… since you think so much about it, stop speculating and wasting your words here in propaganda and put them where they most matter. Talk to the government or visit the cuban authorities. Maybe your contribution would more valuable to many of us Dominicans.
In any case, it doesn’t surprise me that we see so many problems but can never come up with solutions.
And seriously speaking, with so many of us knowing so much (just can’t seem to find solutions) Dominica should really be a very very very prosperous country. But what’s wrong nuh?
DNO any news reporting on the three other young ladies who are allegedly speaking out about their experiences with the Pastor BJ?
It can get a little confusing at times.
There’s a young female doctor trained in Cuba in the Roseau hospital that came from a poor family.The public are so disgusted with her that if they never had to see her again for the rest of their lives it would still be too soon.
But there’s a Cuba trained doctor in the Portsmouth hospital that the public often state that if there were 3 of him it would positively revolutionize the whole medical landscape of Dominica for the better.
Some are good some are crap as is with any other occupation.
Is this Dr. happen to be Dr. Deschausay….I’ve heard a lot of good things about him.
The same Cuban doctor you are referring to from Portsmouth I’ve had a very bad experience wth him, so what the hell are you talking about a cuban trained doctor coming from poor family. Who is rich and who is poor in Dominica? Are you rich? Do you know this person, or are u assuming? In addition, you are speaking on behalf of the public, you need to state your opinion and don’t come here speaking of no public, you ain’t representing no damn public.
There are so called rich and well known doctors here who mal practice and all kinds of crap comes from them. There are some who are engrossed in gossiping and has no interest in improving the medical situation in this place.
I am developing a hatred for that country because you people are so damn shallow and are so damn backward and so wicked, it is just not funny.
Those same doctors you are referring to or the one maybe you are assuming that is poor, maybe you need to find her name and go check in the bank to see what her accounts look like and find out whether she IS over indebted or is living above her means. Go check, you seem to be a rich affluent person, so you should have a few friends worKing in the banks, ask them to run a credit check on her. Your damn out of order piece of crap.
Someone comes to work and do their work to the best of their ability, and do not stand for crap but works with distinction and you people still have a problem with that.
I am not condemning any doctor, there are some who have been in the system much too long and do alot of crap and get away with it simply because they are head of this and head of that, but all in all, I must say as one who has visited this hospital quite often that the doctors and nurses here are trying their best, given the condition of the facility and what they have to work with, including their poor pay checks.
HAVE SOME RESPECT DOMINICANS AND A BIT OF GRATITUDE FOR GOD SAKE.
Take a chill pill…!
@ Jayson…you must be jealous of this young child that made something of herself. Trying to lift one up and destroy the other, how terrible.
If you understand the service business, every customer will not be always happy.
Go on with your rich self and go get that Doctor degree and come back home to make the contribution that they are making.
Dr. Emmanuel spoke about should feel vindicated that he is not the only one who has made this observation!
Scratch the spoke about– This happens when in your head you think about many ways to say something!!
Anyone who thinks that UWI educated and trained doctors are the best in the world has a Christopher Columbus mentality, still living in the 15th century.
This is for Muslim Awa.
Dr Emanuel made an important point. The point is very simple.
Many poorly prepared people are being sent to Cuba to study medicine and are returning incapable of being an asset to the people they are hoping to serve.
This is something which is well known in Dominican circles and has NOTHING to do with the quality of the Cuban medical system, which is highly respected. It has everything to do with the process for selecting people to go and study medicine in Cuba.
There are basic standards that have to be met and these are being jumped over to forcefeed quantity over quality.
In Dominica it is also well known which doctors are incompetent especially because other doctors have to cover up or remedy their mistakes. This is not about cars or house repair, this is about people and their health in a small poor Caribbean country !
Now I would like you to confirm whether you would put your loved ones life in the hands of someone who is not up to scratch or the likes of Dr Emanuel or Dr Chase who are both highly respected doctors.
But instead you will keep on ducking the real issue.
Set a proper criteria. People must have base qualifications EVEN before going to Cuba.
Are the comments aimed at Cuban trained doctors as people? Are the comments aimed at preventing poor working class persons at becoming doctors, or at the circumstance that they are not trained to acceptable professional levels. The distinction must be made both by those finding fault with the training and those who commend the program. I get the sense that the program that facilitates the training of Caribbean doctors is in fact commendable, but the professional training that the program offers is being deemed to be sub-standard by some professionals. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath-tub. The inadequacies, if any can be remedied without people going off the deep end.
Do you see the difference with normal thinking people? There was a movement calling on this doctor to apologize for making that statement.
In Dominica Dr. Victor Emmanuel uttered the same thing, yet, not one protest. This is why I will always lack faith in the Dominican society. They believe in nothing and they fight for nothing! Our people have no revolutionary spirit or values. NONE!
When will our people rise up to tackle issues that have been addressed for over 30 years now? We have had an economic situation for over 30 years now which causes vast migration. Everything has gone up but the salaries. Did you see how the college students protested against the classroom that was built by the toilet? This is what I am talking about.
A……hole………………..Did you even read the comments about Dr Emmanuel”s article???
Of course he was asked to apologize……..
Maybe after they become slaves again, they might wake up.
After they have no TV sets and have to actually depend on one another to survive.
After the selfishness has subsided.
I think it all begins with “National Pride”. I have met Dominicans abroad posing as Jamaicans, but Jamaicans wherever they are will let you know that they are Jamaicans. I am not saying that we all act that way, but what I am saying is that we should be willing to die for our country. That means we should be passionate about righting the wrongs that ail our country. We have to uphold those actions that are good for our country and oppose those that are detrimental, regardless on our political affiliation.
WELL SAID… WE NEED TO STOP ACCEPT MEDIOCRE