Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Cuban-trained doctors sorely needed in Solomons

Posted at 07:15 on 28 February, 2008 UTC

The 25 Solomon Islands students who are attending medical training in Cuba will help ease a doctors shortage.

The trip is part of a bilateral arrangement with Cuba, which has indicated its willingness to assist Solomon Islands in the health sector.

Another 25 will leave for Cuba in July, and 10 medical doctors from Cuba are expected to arrive in the Solomons at the end of March.

An assistant secretary of foreign affairs, John Walton Wasi, says there is a big shortage of doctors in the country.

“We don’t have much assistance in the sector from other donors, so it is an opportunity for them to go and study medicine and on top of that, Cuba is one of the very good medical professions in the world, so it’s an opportunity for them to also learn from the established systems in Cuba.”

John Walton Wasi says they will study the same programme as other medical students.