Mpumalanga and Cuba commit to continue working together on areas of
cooperation
Both the Mpumalanga Provincial Government and Cuba have committed to
continue working together, as per the original arrangement of cooperation
entered into by the national governments on the recruitment of medical doctors
from Cuba as well as sending students on the Cuban medical programe.
The commitment was done verbally on Friday when Mpumalanga
Acting Premier Vusi Shongwe received a courtesy call from the Ambassador of the
Republic of Cuba Carlos Fernandez de Cossion at the Government Complex in
Mbombela.
According to the agreement signed in May 2012 by the ministers of health
from both countries on the cooperation in the field of public health and
medical sciences, the Cuban health professionals have been in the country
including Mpumalanga, to provide health services to rural and other
disadvantaged communities.
They had been assisting in the provision of adequate health services in
hospitals, clinics, community health centres and in other institutions
throughout the province.
During the deliberations on Friday, it transpired that to date, 37
students from Mpumalanga province have qualified as doctors in Cuba since the
cooperation commenced. Currently there are 157 students from Mpumalanga
province who are still studying medicine in Cuba. Again by the end of October
this year, Mpumalanga Province will send another 100 students to train as
doctors in Cuba.
The Mpumalanga Department of Health currently has 25 Cuban doctors under
its employ, 22 more doctors will be coming to work in Mpumalanga by the end of
December this year, and have already been allocated the hospitals they would
work in.
The Acting Premier Shongwe said the arrival of the Cuban health
professionals had made it possible for the provincial government to be able to
render quality health services especially in the rural areas where it had
always been difficult to recruit local doctors.
“Our country has enjoyed a special and long standing relationship with
the Republic of Cuba. As a province of Mpumalanga, we feel that we are indebted
to the Cuban people as our friends, brothers, comrades and liberators, for
their selflessness they had always displayed on us,” said Shongwe.
Meanwhile, the Cuban Ambassador said the relationship between the two
countries had a potential to improve as they had continued to practice
solidarity to each other especially on political matters.
“We are very happy with the relationship between South Africa and
especially Mpumalanga. Our doctors are here to help and will continue to
contribute positively and touch the lives of thousands of people in this
province. We do not have any hidden agenda, but we are here to deliver a
service,” he said.
He explained that the nature of the relationship needed continuous and
physical engagement with the provinces.
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