According to a Business Day news report by Edward West (SA students set to study medicine in Cuba, 6 Jan), “Students from South Africa will be allowed to study medicine in Cuba while paying their own tuition fees”. For every South African who, no doubt, will require medical attention at some time in their life, this is a very curious development. Especially when one considers that our very own private sector has shown a keen interest in training doctors right here in South Africa. Indeed a few years ago, a private institution applied to establish a medical school in Midrand, Gauteng, but was turned down by government. This, no doubt, has quashed interest by others contemplating the same move.

Every year, thousands of potential candidates, who achieved stellar results in their matric examinations, are turned away due to the limited number of positions available at SA’s eight medical schools. Many capitulate and switch to other disciplines and some find innovate ways to temporarily by-pass the obtrusive entrance restrictions and bide their time by enrolling in other courses before switching to medicine at a later date. Others choose to leave SA and study abroad, perhaps never to return.  And now, how many of our bright young South Africans who are determined to work as doctors are being provoked into moving to a despotic country far away in order to get a foot in the door back in their home country, South Africa?

Edward West quotes Dr Vusumzi Mehlo, an intern at the ...