About Cuban medical personnel

EDITOR: Before I get into my topic for the day, I must say congratulations to the West Indies on their consistently good performances. I am glad I am proven wrong so far, and I wish they would continue and win the World Cup. Keep it up boys, we are rallying around the West Indies.

Editor, the decision to phase out Cuban doctors over a three year period is one that will hurt us as a people and will lower the standard of health care in this country. Don’t get me wrong; we have some very good and top of the line doctors who are Vincentians. But, we cannot in honesty deny the fact that the CUBANS are a boost to the health care in this country.

There are many persons who can testify of the top professional treatment they got from the Cubans. We have plenty local doctors, most of whom are not specialist and are just general practitioners. Thus, the Cubans who are very knowledgeable, dedicated and professional add in increasing good health care in SVG.

There are many persons who [bear] testimony to the fact that had it not been for the Cubans, many persons would have had to travel abroad for medical attention and care. So, with the Cubans there are many persons who today have recovered where locally it seemed not possible.

Removing the Cubans will leave us short of specialists and good surgeons, for it would drastically reduced the amount of specialist doctors we have. It would also mean that more of our local doctors would then have to become specialists in all the different fields and also be surgeons in all areas. This would mean that the government would have to increase the financial grant and scholarships to doctors to become specialist.