Achieving a dream of med school without debt

During a visit by a Congressional Black Caucus delegation to Cuba in 2000, a representative from the Mississippi Delta remarked to late Cuban President Fidel Castro that large areas in his district lacked physicians.

To help solve this problem, Castro offered scholarships at the Latin American School of Medicine to students of color from low-income, working-class and underserved areas who would not be able to afford the high cost of a medical degree in the U.S. The only requirement was to make a commitment to practice in medicine in poor and underserved communities.

New Mexico has many areas with a shortage of doctors to meet basic health care needs. Many of these areas are now being served by the Latin American School of Medicine graduates who are able to work unburdened with astronomical medical school debt. Last year, graduates did medical residencies in Santa Fe at La Familia Medical Center and Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center.

The Santa Fe/Holguin (Cuba) Sister City Association has supported students to attend medical school in Cuba and is prepared to continue this assistance. To promote this educational opportunity and to inform students about cost-free medical school in Cuba, we will be showing the documentary, Dare to Dream, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, at The Screen (adults $15, students free). Santa Fe/Holguin (Cuba) Sister City AssociationLatin American School of Medicine doctors practicing in New Mexico will attend and join in a post-screening discussion.

For more information, contact the Santa Fe/Holguin, Cuba Sister City Association: santafeholguinsistercities@yahoo.com

Bernard Rubenstein is a musician and Santa Fe resident and serves as president of the Santa Fe/Holguin (Cuba) Sister City Association.