Like it has done for the past four decades, the Cuban Government on Wednesday awarded millions of dollars in scholarships to Jamaican students to pursue courses in medical sciences in the neighbouring Caribbean country.

The awards, made under the Cuba/Jamaica Bilateral Scholarship programme, cover tuition, accommodation, meals, clothing allowance, study materials and medical care for up to seven years, the first of which will be spent studying Spanish.Speaking at the presentation ceremony at the Cuban Embassy, Cuban Ambassador to Jamaica Bernardo Guanche Hernandez touted the cultural benefits of the programme, saying that students will master Spanish and meet other nationals.”“The awardees will get to know the Cuban people, and know our achievements and our challenges. You will get to learn our language…They’ll learn to love despite cultural differences and lastly, we hope that when you finish your studies in Cuba that you will return to Jamaica, ready to make a beautiful contribution to your beloved country’s development and the well-being of the Jamaican people, especially in the most needed areas,” he said.Ambassador Guanche also expressed thanks to the Jamaican Government and the Jamaican people for the unwavering support to Cuba during what he described as the hard and long battle during the American blockade, and articulated that Cuba plans to maintain the relationship it currently has with Jamaica.There are currently 225 Cubans working in Jamaica — 173 in health care, and 51 in the education field.Over the last 50 years, Cuba has offered cooperation to 186 countries, 85.99 per cent of which have been in Latin America and the Caribbean. At present, more than 3,000 foreign youths are studying in Cuba, with 91 per cent of them pursuing careers related to medicine. In the case of Jamaica, 42 recipients of the Cuba/Jamaica Bilateral Scholarship graduated last year, and some 55 are still enrolled.Eight awards were made this year to Toni Brodnock, Jamila Brown, Regina Smith, Trishauna Thompson, Taneisha Atkinson, Dianna Cleary, Sovia Brown, and Chad-Wayne Clarke.Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Ambassador Marcia Gilbert-Roberts congratulated them, while lauding the Cuban health sector as one of the best in the world.“Jamaica and Cuba are not just close geographic neighbours, but we share friendship and cooperation. Jamaica’s relationship with Cuba is built on principle and good neighbourliness, which further strengthens the bilateral cooperation in several areas,” she said.Toni Brodnock, who responded on behalf of the recipients, said she was elated and humbled at the opportunity.“I take this opportunity with open arms and I’m looking forward to garner(ing) the necessary skills to return to Jamaica as a medical doctor and help the development of my country,” she said.Brodnock, Brown, Smith, and Thompson will be pursuing medicine; Atkinson will be doing an Associate Degree in Cytology, History and Thanatology; Cleary will pursue postgraduate pediatrics; Sovia Brown will do the Master’s in Medical Imaging Radiation Physics; and Clarke will do the Master of Science Degree in Health Science. — Sasha Rowe