Page 25 - IB AUG 2019

Health

community-based approach in medicine which make their own medicines and an 500 people. This is not to say that Cuba
and health. Whatever disease, treatment agricultural sector which produces their has the best health system globally, but it
or investigation in medicine that is taught, own food, including dairy products. does stand out with a well-tested public
it has to be reflected back to the commu- On their return home, Kana and her health backbone. Cuban doctors were
nity in practical terms. Kana finds this fellow graduates had to do a one year front-liners in the Ebola outbreak in Africa
learning model allows her to confidently “bridging” program before they are eligible and even in the Haiti crisis, due to their
identify the various aspects of health de- to do the introductory two years of the deep experience in public health.
terminants that can have either a positive formal internship program. Seven years There are other health systems in devel-
or a negative effect on the community’s was a long journey, and the additional oped first world countries that do outshine
health status. year before heading for internship seem Cuba; however Cuba’s health system is
Kana and fellow Solomon Islanders to be too much. However perseverance is well organised with many lessons that
studying medicine were mostly preoc- key, something they had learnt from their Solomon Islands can and must learn
cupied with their studies while in Cuba, host country. from. They have their health structure and
however there were those odd occasions To date, almost 100 Solomon Islands health referral pathway figured out pretty
where they felt uncertainty for the future. doctors have graduated from Cuba and well. With the experience Solomon Islands’
She was part of the third group to study in have returned home. The health authori- Cuban graduates have gained, this is an
Cuba, and the first and second groups of ties at all levels, in line with the govern- exciting time for the public and primary
Solomon Islands doctors who had gradu- ment’s flagship role-delineation policy, health sectors.
ated there faced a lot of public criticism of must utilise this rich experience brought This month Cuba’s Director General for
their capabilities. Some of these negative by the Cuban graduates. Our public health Bilateral Affairs said around 300 scholar-
sentiments did get back to the ears of policies must be open to insights and per- ships have been awarded to young Pacific
students still in Cuba, creating uncertainty spectives that the Solomon Islands Cuban islanders to study medicine, and that more
for Kana and her group. graduate doctors bring. Failure to recog- than 180 of them have graduated. They
“Perseverance is a strong trait for nise the value of the Cuban public health include not only Solomon Islanders, but
Cubans, their country’s history is a fine system and reluctance to import relevant also ni-Vanuatu, Tuvaluan and i-Kiribati
example of it,” Kana points out. And it established and sustainable health deliv- doctors. Cuba recently offered an addition-
has rubbed off on all Solomon Islanders ery practices is nothing short of a waste of al 40 fee-free scholarship to prospective
who have studied there. When the world the government’s precious investment in i-Kiribati doctors, with the idea that they
closed their door to Cuba because of Fidel the Cuban doctor training exercise. return home to practice after graduation.
Castro they turned inward and now can Cuba already has one of the best doctor Cuba also has ‘medical brigades’ in Nauru
boast they own pharmaceutical companies to patient ratios of one doctor for every and Kiribati.

SPOTLIGHTS, PROTECTION,

SECURITY, SAFE SHELTERS...

“I believe the spotlight
should shine on the “We have to be educated. “Women are usually the first “Strengthen the capacity of
leadership because women Whenever there is a disaster, respondents when it comes to women networks including
with disabilities can also there is turmoil and hence pre- and post-natural disaster women with disability
provide assistance and be there is a need to have this periods and that is why to influence national
first responders in disasters information circulated and women need to be included coordination mechanisms.
because they understand carried out. We can’t stop in Disaster Risk Reduction Support women to build a
their networks and their the disaster but we can arm (DRR) structures” - Josephine women-led resilience strategy
communities better. As ourselves with knowledge” Teakeni, Executive Director and a study to be conducted
women with disability, we – Vanessa Heleta, Executive of Vois Blong Mere Solomon to look at women, peace
only need the appropriate Director, Talitha Project, Islands and security in the face of
support mechanisms to Tonga current disasters” – Yasmine
lead us to providing that Bjournum, Publisher, Sistah
assistance that’s needed on Magazine, Vanuatu
the ground” – Luisa Mana, Fiji
National Council for Disability
Persons, Fiji

Islands Business, August 2019 25