CubaPLUS Magazine

Health has been, is and will be one of the conditions most valued by human beings, hence the need to always have a doctor nearby to ensure a better quality of life.

In this article we will talk about three health professionals currently living in Guyana, one of them Cuban, and they have in common having studied medicine in Cuba, whose health system is the pride of the largest of the Antilles.

Sheik Amir is a surgeon who studied in Cuba thanks to the collaboration that has existed for some four decades between his country and the island, which has led to the graduation of some 700 Guyanese doctors from Cuban universities.

For Dr. Amir, training in Cuba was a wonderful experience, because as a medical student, he had many opportunities to perform his duties, and, very importantly, &the high scientific level of the Cuban professors, something very appreciated by all of us who studied there, from many nations." He recalls during his student days that the patients and hospital workers were very friendly people, even in the streets &I didn’t feel like a foreigner because the Cubans helped us in the markets, in the stores...," he told this publication. Since graduating he has held various responsibilities in Guyanese hospital institutions and currently works at the Woodlands Hospital Ltd.; in addition, he is part of a medical brigade of the Ministry of Health that travels several times a year to the interior of the country, even very remote places, to offer - free of charge - community services to low-income patients.

I am eternally grateful to the Cuban people for my professional career... in my opinion the health system that exists in Cuba is a source of pride for a developing nation. It is free and there are achievements that many countries in the world dream of reaching. The population’s health is a goal that all states should have and that is a priority of the Cuban government," he said.

Dr. Richard Van West-Charles, an epidemiologist, was the first Guyanese doctor to graduate in Cuba in the 1970s and describes his experience on the island as &magnificent." He had close contacts with the professors, with the other students of his group and from other hospitals, which allowed him a rich exchange of knowledge and friendship.

He gave the example of when he performed social service in the southern province of Cienfuegos, where he was able to get involved with the population and, working there, he understood better the health problems that can affect people most.

In Cuba, I gained valuable experience and became prepared to deal with any problem in general medicine, which made it possible for me to work in the international health area, with the World Health Organization, in the Caribbean and in Washington D.C., contributing to the health of the Americas and the planet," he considered.

The health system in Cuba tries to achieve equity, regardless of gender, religion or politics. It is a system that is very linked to the country’s development, he said, adding that &Fidel Castro understood well that health is the best contribution of human beings to the progress of nations, regions and the world. I can say: thank you to the Cuban people for my training as a doctor and as a human being."

Dr. Manuel Martínez, a Cuban D. D. S. who graduated in 2008 from the University of Medical Sciences of Santiago de Cuba after completing his social service, traveled for work reasons to Guyana, where he currently works as a dental surgeon at the Woodlands Hospital Ltd.

His experience in Guyana has been very different from that in Cuba, especially because of the language, but &Cuban doctors are very well received and respected here. We are very well accepted by the population, which makes me happy," he said.

Graduated from the School of Hypnosis in Cuba tutored by Dr.Sc. Alberto Cobian Mena and a member of the Pan American Association of Therapeutic Hypnosis (HIPNOS), he practices this technique to treat the different cases that come to his office such as dental phobia, digital suction, onychophagia, cheilophagia, among other bad habits. He also uses suggestion and hypnosis in dental conditions, which leads to better patient care.

Dr. Martínez has also provided dental mobile services in a medical outreach with Woodlands Hospital Ltd. In coordination with the Guyana Ministry of Health, to care for the population living in remote areas of the country and with low resources.

This attitude reflects the altruism that permeates the Cuban health system in each of the doctors trained in the largest of the

Antilles. That is why we should remember the words of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution when he said: &The medical personnel who go anywhere to save lives, even at the risk of losing their own, are the greatest example of solidarity that human beings can offer, especially when they are not motivated by any material interest whatsoever".