The country’s healthcare system’s problems will be addressed by the recently graduated South African doctors who received their training in Cuba, according to the health minister, Dr. Joe Phaahla.
The shortage of doctors and other healthcare professionals, according to Minister Phaahla, is still a major problem in South Africa’s healthcare system.
The Minister stated that in order to strengthen the primary health care system, “the system and our conditions as a country require those trained in the new health associated security paradigm and preventative approach.”
He was addressing the graduates of the Nelson Mandela/Fidel Castro Medical Collaboration Program, 594 South African medical students who were receiving their degrees from Cuban universities.
The program’s goal is to develop human resource capacity, strengthen the healthcare system in South Africa, and alleviate the country’s doctor deficit, particularly in historically underserved communities.
Phaahla presided over the graduation ceremony, which was place at the Mamelodi campus of the University of Pretoria in Pretoria.
He was joined by the acting vice chancellor and principal of the University of Pretoria, Prof. BT Maharaj, the deputy minister of health, Dr. Sibongiseni Dhlomo, the deputy minister of health for the Republic of Cuba, Dr. Luis Fernando LF Navarro, the provincial MECs for health, and representatives from the University of Havana in Cuba.
These doctors are from eight different provinces, including 126 graduates from North West and Kwazulu-Natal, 113 from Gauteng, 86 from Limpopo, 83 from the Eastern Cape, 28 from the Northern Cape, 21 from the Free State, and 12 from Mpumalanga.
The Minister emphasized the need for the health sector to be watchful and keep its focus on infectious diseases as they have been proved to be the increasing concerns in light of the current socioeconomic conditions and environmental variables.
The Nelson Mandela/Fidel Castro Medical Collaboration expanded rapidly over the course of several years, providing the needed medical specialists from whom South Africa has greatly benefited.
According to Phaahla, the collaboration’s striking successes demonstrate the value and significance of international cooperation, which was first recognized many years ago by former presidents Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro.
The Nelson Mandela/Fidel Castro Medical Collaboration Program “opened opportunities and addressed the need for a new medical training model focusing on preventative and promotional healthcare services instead of the historical dominance of the curative health care system,” according to a statement from the program’s founders.
According to him, the program gave underprivileged students who would not have been admitted to most South African medical schools due to their socioeconomic background access to advanced training as medical practitioners.
According to Phaahla, the collaboration increased the nation’s annual output of doctors and medical students, increasing the ability of provincial departments to place physicians in public health institutions in remote areas.
The Minister claimed that the program has also resulted in a strong academic partnership between universities in South Africa and Cuba, particularly in the field of health, involving the exchange of research ideas and information.
He stated that the quality assurance mechanism adopted in the programme is underlined by the fact that students who completed their studies are accepted into South African institutions for additional supervision and alignment of outcomes.
“When the graduates come home they get integrated into the South African medical schools for quality assurance of their qualifications, after which they get offered positions in the internship and community service programmes,” he said.
From 1997 to date, the cooperation has produced 2556 doctors, some of whom have become specialists.
Since 2018, it has produced more than 600 doctors annually, which is greater than South Africa’s domestic production of medical professionals.
The Minister commended the graduates on their lifetime accomplishments, acknowledged their efforts, and expressed gratitude for their enthusiastic acceptance of the call to duty.
The Minister congratulated the graduates and said, “As you graduate, we welcome you to join this patriotic and dedicated force that has demonstrated resilience during the height of COVID-19 pandemic, saving lives of our people, but also losing some of their own lives – we salute them for their courageous acts.”
Minister Phaahla also thanked the families for having to put up with the absence of their children while they were abroad gaining the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute to this beautiful profession and vital service for the nation.