Pretoria, July 5, 2019. – 87 students of medicine who took their first five years of studies, graduated in the South African province of Western Cape.
The University Walter Sisulu was the venue of the graduation ceremony of these new health professionals graduated under the South African students’ medical training programme in Cuba, initiated in 1997 after the cooperation agreement signed in 1996 between Cuba and South Africa; known as the Fidel-Mandela Programme.
Presiding over the ceremony was South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Health Joe Phaahla and the head of the provincial government, Lubalo Oscar Mabuyane. A Cuban delegation led by the Vice-chancellor of the University of Havana Dr Luis Alberto Pisch Garcia also participated in the ceremony, as well as officials of the Embassy of Cuba in South Africa.
This graduation has been the greatest in number so far. The next year 711 are expected to graduate, today they are taking their last year of studies.
A number of 16 graduations have been held under the Fidel-Mandela Programme, the first one was in 2003 and over 700 students have graduated so far; which has strengthened the medical service in this country having the Cuban medical system as an example to imitate.