[Marxism] IPS: Country Welcomes Cuban Doctors

[Ruthless Critic of All that Exists]

Cuban skills in SA

5 November, 2004

The government has tackled skills shortage in South Africa by
employing skilled foreign workers. A programme involving some 450
Cuban professionals is one of the first examples of this – a sign of
"excellent" bilateral relations with the country.

The Cubans currently work in several departments, including housing,
health, and water affairs and forestry. The majority of them, some
240, work as doctors, while others are employed as architects,
engineers and technicians. According to the Public Service Commission,
some 53 foreign practitioners from other countries are employed as
engineers, while Iranian and British doctors are also being deployed
in rural areas.

The first Cuban doctors began arriving in South Africa in 1996, to
fill a skills shortage in state hospitals. Initially they were on
three-year contracts, but where asked to extend their stay.

There are about 1 200 Cuban doctors working on the African continent,
including in Angola, Botswana, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial
Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Namibia,
Seychelles, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and areas in the Sahara.

The initiative has not been without its controversy. Some doctors have
complained about a lack of job security (if they apply for South
African citizenship), others about low pay. The government has also
been criticized for narrowing the job market, and preventing South
African's from taking up the government positions. [...]

Full: <http://www.southafrica.info/travel/documents/cuban-doctors.htm>