Georgetown: Government will be reducing the number of scholarships for studies in medicine under the Cuban Scholarship Programme this year, Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran has said.
According to Ramsaran, Guyana’s health sector is now saturated with medical doctors, hence the scaling down of the programme. Many young potential Guyanese doctors between the ages of 16 and 25 may not get the opportunity to capitalise on the Government of Guyana/Cuba Scholarship Programme.
Each year, close to 500 students receive scholarships to study in Cuba; this year the figure will be reduced to about 250. When the programme first started, the health sector was understaffed with doctors and nurses, Ramsaran said “but now we have ample amount of specialised doctors in the health sector so there is not a need for so many scholarships this year”. He added that the main objective of the Ministry at the moment is to have these doctors specialise in specific fields such as kidney and heart transplant, plastic surgery.
He further stated that the Ministry is working with the Foreign Affairs Ministry and Public Service Commission with Cuban cooperation to finalise this year’s agreement. In 2013, a number of Cuba-trained doctors returned home to serve. A majority of those doctors were dispatched to public health centres and hospitals across the country.
The Governments of Guyana/Cuba Specialist Awards Scholarship Programme was established following a visit to the sister Caribbean state by then President Bharrat Jagdeo in 2001.
President Jagdeo secured the scholarships in various disciplines, after meeting with the then President Fidel Castro. The scholarships are offered in Medicine, Engineering, Technology, Telecommunications, Agriculture, Sport and Culture.
The Government feels that there is need to place greater emphasis on specialised training in these areas, to enhance Guyana’s developmental thrust. The scholarships are advertised early in the year in the national newspapers and interested applicants are invited to submit completed application forms to the Office of the President.
The President had specified that every batch of students must include Amerindians, since the scholarships are for all Guyanese students who qualify. Under the scholarship programme, the students sent by the Government of Guyana are given a stipend of Cdn$50 per month.
They also have the guidance of a Students Affairs Officer in Cuba appointed by the Government. The students are expected to serve the Government for five years on their return.
Many young people have become qualified for scholarships given improved performances at both the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) level.
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