How is Cuba compensating for the outflow of doctors who volunteer to work overseas?
There are three primary strategies aimed at preserving levels of care at home, while nearly 30,000 health professionals, mostly doctors, are volunteering in 69 countries. Cuba has over 70,000 physicians, of which some 25,000 are abroad. First, Cuban medical schools have increased the number of slots for incoming medical students to ensure more doctors are trained: in academic year 2004-2005, the incoming class numbered 17,801; in 2005-2006 it was 21,205; and in 2006-2007, 25,728 (Source: Vice Ministry for Medical Education, Ministry of Public Health, Havana). Similar increases occurred with incoming classes for nursing, dentistry and allied health sciences. Second, the family medicine residency program, which originally lasted for three years beyond the six-year MD training, has been compressed, so that sixth-year medical students are also first-year interns in family medicine, leaving only two more years to finish their residency. This gets more doctors into practice sooner. Third, fa
