Government is providing scholarships for those interested in pursuing Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor Surgery (MBchB) degrees in Cuba.
In a notice from the scholarship controlling entity Ministry of Education and Sports, the deadline for application submission is Tuesday.
“Applicants must have a minimum of two principal passes at ‘C’ level in relevant subjects and must have obtained their results not more than two years ago,” the notice stresses.
The shortlist will be pinned on the notice board of the Higher Education and Training Department, and also on the ministry website on Thursday next week.
In a brief response to the scholarship preparations, the health ministry permanent secretary, Alex Kakooza, explained the specificity of the scholarship. He told New Vision that as of Friday, four applications had been submitted.
“We hope to have some more applications. We will see whether those who applied meet the criteria. The scholarship is mainly tuition. The air tickets and upkeep is sole responsibility of the applicant,” said Kakooza.
Applications should be addressed to the secretary Central Scholarship committee at the ministry, with offices at Legacy Towers in the city suburb of Nakasero.
However, applicants must not be more than 25 years and should be ready to undergo a one-year Spanish language study to enable them to pursue the course.
Cuba is a Spanish language speaking country and uses it for instruction at all institutions. It is also the official language.
The ministry says those currently on government scholarship in public universities, are not eligible.
After completion of the language course, the MBchB will be conducted for six years. Parents and guardians must be ready to provide a minimum of $50 monthly pocket money for the entire seven years.
Requirements
Those eligible have been asked to provide photocopies of academic transcripts and certificates, passport photographs, details on home district, email and telephone contacts.
Cuba medical schools
Cuba prides in having highly-sought after top class medical schools globally. According to respected web portal Cubamed.com, over 50,000 students from 121 countries are studying medicine in Cuban universities and institutes or with Cuban professionals in other countries.
One of the top institutions, the Latin American School of Medicine, is highly sought for training general medical practitioners specialised in providing primary health care training.
It has graduated 8,600 medical students from 54 countries, especially from the poorest sectors in their societies, who represent a wide range of ethnicity, educational and cultural backgrounds.
