Johannesburg, 05 July 2024 - More than 100 young South Africans that studied in Cuban medical schools graduated today. The 103 new doctors come from seven of the nine provinces of South Africa.
At the ceremony, held at the University of Witwatersrand, they received their diplomas from Dr Heidi Soca, of the Cuban Universities of Medical Sciences, who was part of the Cuban delegation, headed by Dr Fidela Reyes, Director of Undergraduate Studies of the Cuban Ministry of Health.
According to representatives of the South African Department of Health who attended the ceremony, the graduates had gained a unique perspective based on preventive care during their training in Cuba. They thanked Cuba for training them to be "compassionate and resilient doctors" who will now help ensure that every South African has access to medical services.
The newly graduated doctors said they were a testament to the vision of two extraordinary leaders, Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro, and an example of what can be achieved through cooperation in human development.
The 103 new specialists join more than three thousand young South Africans who have studied medicine at Cuban universities as part of the Fidel Castro-Nelson Mandela Programme, launched in 1996. This agreement was signed by the two presidents following the end of apartheid in South Africa in 1994.
(Cuban Embassy in South Africa - Prensa Latina)