Published on Cuba Si (http://cubasi.cu)
A Cuban doctor working at a rural hospital in Limpopo has warned his colleagues to be prepared to work in difficult conditions.
Dr Armando Sanchez Canal, who has worked in South Africa for the past 19 years, spoke during the official welcoming of 22 Cuban doctors who will be stationed in hospitals across the Limpopo as part of a long standing partnership between the two countries.
The arrival of the 22 Cuban doctors, some of whom have specialisations in pediatrics, neurology and gynecology is the result of a partnership forged between SA and Cuba 20 years ago.
Canal shared his experiences in the presence of Limpopo Health MEC Dr Phophi Ramathuba and Cuban Ambassador to SA Carlos Fernandez de Cossio.
He said although medicine was the same across the world, the doctors should expect to be working within a different health system, whereby specialists in areas such as neurology were not readily available, especially in rural hospitals.
Canal said general physicians were in some cases forced to improvise by communicating with specialists over the phone in order to treat patients.
“All of this carries a lot of stress and a load of frustrations. You need to learn to handle it. If you do not learn to handle it you will burn out,” he said.
Canal also pointed out that his colleagues must be prepared to adjust to the fact that some diseases, which are not common in Cuba, could be more prevalent in SA.
Ramathuba later took to the podium to congratulate and welcome the doctors, adding that the continued relationship between the two countries had contributed towards the growth of SA’s health system.
She said a majority of the 200 Cuban doctors who were first sent to SA had opted to work in rural areas, which had helped to alleviate the shortage of medical practitioners.
Ramathuba agreed with Canal’s sentiments, saying that while it was true that general practitioners had to improvise, it is important to remember that patients come first.
She alerted the doctors to the fact that the majority of South African citizens depended on the public health system and would have no other options if failed by these health professionals.
“You must assist us to strengthen our health system and become integrated into the communities, “she said.
De Cossio said his fellow countrymen and women had come to share their knowledge and experience while providing services. He said the doctors would not attempt to impose the Cuban way of thinking.