Cuban Medical Brigade holds scientific workshop

THE 10th national scientific workshop of the Cuban Medical Brigade in Ghana has been held in Accra.
It afforded Cuban doctors the opportunity to take stock of their contribution to healthcare delivery in the country.
Furthermore, the scientific session was intended for the doctors to discuss their research findings and make recommendations to the Ministry of Health for consideration and action.
The Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kumbuor, who addressed the opening session, commended Cuban medical officers for their immense contribution to healthcare delivery in the country.
Currently, there are 200 Cuban doctors working in mostly rural communities where most Ghanaian doctors are unwilling to serve.
The Minister said apart from providing clinical services at the various health facilities in the country, the Cuban medical officers also undertook outreach programmes to extend medical services to many villages, particularly in the Northern Region.
Dr Kumbuor said it was heart-warming to recognise the crucial role being played by these medical officers who accepted posting to very remote areas of the country
He said Cuban medical officers had, indeed, proved to be good ambassadors of the Republic of Cuba since Ghana signed a joint co-operation with the Cuban government in April 1982 to assist Ghana to improve its healthcare delivery when 17 health specialists were brought into the country.
He explained that the number of Cuban medical officers increased to 54 in 1994, 62 in 1999 and 138 in 2000 and indicated that the current staff strength of the Cuban medical officers was 200, adding, “It is our hope that the figure will increase in the near future.”
Dr Kumbuor said the government of Cuba had, over the years, offered scholarships for Ghanaians to study various courses in Cuba and indicated that Cuba still incurred huge expenses annually to train doctors to supplement Ghana’s efforts at providing quality healthcare services for Ghanaians.
The National Co-ordinator of the Cuban Medical Brigade, Dr Felipe Delgado Bustillo, said the workshop was an annual event for Cuban medical officers to take stock of their contribution to healthcare delivery in Ghana.
He said the medical officers had been posted to all 10 regions of the country where they undertook research in the hospitals or clinics and their findings submitted to their colleagues and the Ministry of Health for discussion and action.
He commended the government and the Ministry of Health for their immense contribution the Cuban Medical Brigade.