Latin American School of Medicine in Cuba

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Latin American School of Medicine (Cuba)
)

Latin American School of Medicine in Cuba
La Habana
,
23°03′24″N 82°32′23″W / 23.056673°N 82.539597°W / 23.056673; -82.539597
Colors   Red and green
Websiteinstituciones.sld.cu/elam/

Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina (ELAM in

Cuban government established in 1999 and supported by the Venezuelan Government (RBDEV). Its mission is to "contribute to the training of Primary Health Care physicians in diverse regions of the World" according to Almaty objectives.[1]

ELAM has been described as possibly being the largest medical school in the world by enrollment, with approximately 19,550 students from 110 countries as reported in 2012.

Tuition, room and board are free, and a small stipend is provided for students.[4][5][6][7][8]

Campuses

The main

amphitheaters, dormitories, an infirmary, and other facilities. The campus facilities were designed to support approximately 3,500 students. Students beyond the second year of the medical program based at other medical schools around Cuba. In December 2006, approximately 3,300 students were reportedly housed on the campus. The US dorm is two stories, and students sleep on bunk beds in rooms of five to twenty if the rooms are filled to capacity. The diet in the cafeteria mainly consists of rice, beans, and bread, with the main course varying from ground soy, rice mixed with shredded chicken or pork referred to as "arroz con suerte", ham, liver, chicken or pork.[citation needed] The school provides all meals and housing. They also provide uniforms, monthly supplies, and a modest allowance each month.[8][9][10]

In 2005, it was announced that the

Francophone Caribbean School of Medical Sciences in Santiago de Cuba — a second key campus — had been incorporated into ELAM.[11][12][citation needed
] All US students continue years 3 to 6 at Salvador Allende Hospital in Havana, Cuba.[citation needed]

Mission

The mission of ELAM is to make competent and cooperative doctors with the degree of

Timor-Leste.[14]

Recognition

The Latin American School of Medicine is officially recognized by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and the World Health Organization. It is fully accredited by the Medical Board of California.[1]

Scholarships

Scholarships include full tuition, dormitory housing, three meals per day at the campus cafeteria, textbooks in Spanish for all courses, school uniform, basic toiletries, bedding, and a small monthly stipend of 100 Cuban pesos ($4). Scholarships do not include travel or commuting expenses to and from school, though for the first three years all classes are walking distance from the dormitories[citation needed]

Admissions

Applications are processed through accredited Cuban diplomatic missions in the student's home country. Preference is given to applicants who are financially needy and/or people of color who show the most commitment to working in their poor communities.[6][7][10][15] [16]

Final admissions decisions are made by a committee representing ELAM's

Curriculum

The curriculum includes 6 years medical studies in Spanish.[1] ELAM's pedagogical philosophy centers on intensive tutoring and advising.[citation needed]

The

community medicine and hands-on internship experiences.[citation needed
]

Students are required to pass examinations at appropriate points during their course of study. For US students, this includes the United States Medical Licensing Examination.[10]

History

Establishment

The Cuban government stated that ELAM was conceived by

hurricanes.[citation needed
]

Upon arriving in the mostly rural areas, the Cuban doctors discovered that many people suffered chronic, long-term illnesses. Instead of broken bones, they were treating river blindness and stunted growth. In places like the Mosquito Coast of Honduras, the Cubans were the first doctors the patients had ever seen. In support of this plan, ELAM was opened in March 1999 and started its full medical program in September 1999 with approximately 1,900 student in its initial classes. On November 15, 1999, ELAM was officially inaugurated as Havana hosted the 9th Ibero-American Summit (at this time, ELAM had 1,929 students from 18 countries).[8][19][20]

The first class of 1,498 ELAM doctors

Cooperation with the United States

In June 2000, a US

US State Department to avoid the restrictions of the U.S. embargo against Cuba. The first intake of US students into ELAM occurred in spring 2001, with 10 enrolling in the pre-medical program.[7][19][21][22]

In 2004, the legality of the presence of US students at ELAM was threatened by tightened restrictions against travel to Cuba by US nationals under the administration of President George W. Bush. A CBC campaign led by Representatives Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Charles Rangel (D-NY) with 27 other members of Congress persuaded Secretary of State Colin Powell to exempt ELAM from the tightened restrictions.[6]

Applications from US citizens had been administered through the New York City-based Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO), formerly headed by human rights activist and critic of the U.S. embargo of Cuba, the late Rev. Lucius Walker Jr.[22]

Cooperation with Pakistan

The 2005 Pakistan earthquake (also known as the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, the South Asian earthquake or the Great Pakistan earthquake) was a major earthquake centered in Kashmir and in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) near the city of Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. In the international response to the 2005 Kashmir earthquake many countries, international organizations and non-governmental organizations offered relief aid to the affected regions.

Cuba offered 1000 scholarships in medicine for

Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, which selected the students from all over the country. The first batch of approximately 312 students arrived Cuba in February 2007 and the second batch joined them the following year. In accordance with the ELAM's rules, the students received a one-year language course in Spanish which included a premedical certificate. After the completion of the Spanish language course, all the students were moved to the different campuses of ELAM situated in other provinces, where these students are studying with other students from 50 countries and will receive an MD degree after completion of their 6 years medical studies, that includes one year of internship at affiliated hospitals. The first batch of 298 Pakistani students has been graduated and returned to Pakistan
and the second batch of more than 600 students is expected to graduate in February 2015.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Board agenda" (PDF). www.mbc.ca.gov.[dead link]
  2. ^ a b Porter, Catherine (2 June 2012). "Cuba-trained doctors making difference around the world". thestar.com. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  3. ^ "Who are the Americans who are going to study medicine in Cuba? - National Medical Association".
  4. ^ ¡Salud! - Synopsis Archived 2007-03-21 at the Wayback Machine, ¡Salud! documentary website; accessed Feb. 2, 2006
  5. ^ "Dr Diplomat", The Economist magazine, Jan. 25 2007
  6. ^ a b c "Affirmative Action, Cuban Style Archived 2007-01-19 at the Wayback Machine", Fitzhugh Mullan, The New England Journal of Medicine Vol. 351, No. 26, Dec. 23 2004
  7. ^ a b c "Cuba spreads medical care as political tool", DeWayne Wickham, USA Today, Jan. 30 2001
  8. ^ a b c d "Path to becoming a doctor via the third world", Paul Nussbaum, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Dec. 3 2006
  9. ^ Key Address by Dr. Fidel Castro Ruz, President of the Republic of Cuba, at the Inauguration of the Latin American School of Medicine, Havana, November 15 1999, Cuba.cu (Cuban Government); accessed Feb. 8 2007
  10. ^ a b c LASM Medical School Scholarship Program Brochure Archived 2007-01-19 at the Wayback Machine, IFCO website, accessed Feb. 2 2007
  11. ^ a b "Where There Were No Doctors: First MDs Graduate from Latin American Medical School", Gail A. Reed, MEDICC Review Vol. VII No. 8, Aug./Sept. 2005; accessed Feb. 4 2007
  12. ^ a b "First Graduation of the Latin American School of Medicine/Ceremony attended by heads of state and government Archived 2008-02-06 at the Wayback Machine", Mireya Castaneda, Digital Granma Internacional, Aug. 23 2005; accessed Feb. 5 2007
  13. ^ "Medical credentials and degrees explained". Mayo Clinic Care Network.
  14. ^ http://econpapers.repec.org/article/eeesocmed/v_3a96_3ay_3a2013_3ai_3ac_3ap_3a285-289.htm Scaling-up the medical workforce in Timor-Leste: Challenges of a great leap forward J. Cabral, G. Dussault, J. Buchan & P. Ferrinho (2013) Social Science & Medicine, vol. 96, issue C, pages 285-289
  15. ^ "Castro Makes a Dream Offer: Plan for free medical education greeted by some with skepticism", Ellen Yan, Newsday, Feb. 28 2001
  16. ^ How to Apply Archived 2013-02-10 at archive.today ELAM
  17. ^ "Havana Journal; Hippocrates Meets Fidel, and Even U.S. Students Enroll", Marc Lacey, The New York Times, Dec. 8, 2006
  18. ^ Cuban Embassies official website Archived 2007-07-04 at the Wayback Machine, Cuban Ministry of External Relations; accessed Feb. 5 2007
  19. ^ a b Medical School Scholarship Program FAQ Archived 2007-03-14 at the Wayback Machine, IFCO website, accessed Feb. 2 2007
  20. ^ "Castro's Guests Give Dissidents a Hearing", Serge F. Kovaleski, The Washington Post, Nov. 17 1999
  21. ^ "Summit in New York: The Cuban Leader; Friendly Crowd Provides Castro With a Soapbox", Edward Wong and Chris Hedges, The New York Times, Sept. 9, 2000
  22. ^ a b "8 Americans in Havana Are Med Students With a Mission", Mark Fineman, Los Angeles Times, May 1, 2001

External links