Cuban Doctors Are Here To Help; Lets Respect Them � Kwesi Pratt

The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr has said the rumour in public domain that the 300 Cuban doctors currently in the country are here to replace the striking doctors is a fabricated as the Cuban doctors are only in the country to assist in delivering medical services. �Let�s respect the Cuban doctors and stop castigating them. They are dedicated and are willing to help Ghanaians to solve some emergency issues, let�s respect them. Cuban doctors are not here to take over from our own medical doctors, they are here to help,� he said. Government has flown 250 students to Havana, Cuba to be trained as doctors as 300 Cuban doctors have also arrived in the country to assist with academic and medical services. This came to light at the signing of a renewed agreement between Ghana and Cuba. The agreement, which is renewed every two years, reiterates Cuba's commitment towards helping to improve on its health sector and Ghana is a proud beneficiary of most countries Cuban doctors are deployed to assist in health care matters. Speaking on an Accra-based Adom FM; Mr. Pratt noted that though Ghanaian doctors are tremendously doing a great job until their recent strike, they need a helping hand from their colleagues from Cuba to extend their services across the whole nation specifically the villages. �The Cuban doctors have been of a great help to this nation. Ghanaian doctors are hard-working and we respect that, but now we have limited doctors in the country and we need more to cover the whole country. If you visit some villages, you will come across one Cuban doctor taking care of the whole community. The Cuban doctors now, are more than our own doctors in the villages. ��it�s not because of the strike why these (Cuban) doctors are here in the country. Cuban doctors started coming to this country afore. Two years ago, I (Kwesi Pratt) was part of the delegation that went to Cuba to sign the negotiation to allow Cuban doctors to help in the health service in Ghana. ��Before, we had 200 of the Cuban doctors coming every year but now they (Cubans) have increased it to 350 due to the population now. It is not because of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) strike that the Cuban doctors are here in the country, it is an agreement already signed before,� he said. He further said, �Let�s stop politicizing the arrival of the Cuban doctors but rather see the Cuban doctors as contributing to our national development effort�