Cuban medics arrive

Cuban doctors and nurses brought in to deal with the shortage at local public health facilities were whisked from Piarco International Airport to Hotel Normandie, St Ann’s yesterday in a well orchestrated plan to avoid the media.

Arriving aboard a BWIA flight from Havana after 5 am yesterday, the group of approximately 40 doctors and nurses were escorted through the VIP exit and taken to the hotel in three Ministry of Health vehicles. They were met at the airport by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Hamid O’ Brien, Human Resource Manager Ashford Sankar, and Alberto Perez Sierra, the Cuban coordinating the medical workers’ stay in TT.  Perez has been in TT since July 11 working with local officials.  Speaking to the media prior to the arrival of the Cubans, Sankar said a local translation company (he declined to name) will conduct orientation sessions with the doctors and nurses over the next three weeks to familiarise them with TT’s language and culture.  He assured that the Cubans had a high level of English because it is their second language, he said as part of the agreement between TT and Cuba, the medical personnel should have been trained to an advanced level of communication. “When we were in Cuba two weeks ago we found evidence that the training had not taken place,” he said. The orientation course is intended to “sharpen their English” for TT so they will understand TT slangs and colloquialisms.

Sankar said the language will be put into context so when someone tells them “ah get a chook in my foot” they will understand. They will also get familiar with terms like “nara” which is an East Indian saying which means  belly pain. Sankar said they will get information on TT’s system of medicine which operates on a referral basis with doctors functioning in a “firm”—comprising a consultant, registrar and house officer. Responding to a question about the experience of the doctors he said: “Most of these people are mature with between 15-20 years experience,” Sankar added that there were no “young boys”. He refuted reports that accommodation at the hostel at Port-of-Spain General Hospital will not be ready to accommodate the doctors and nurses. He said the work is “well advanced” and the area should be ready this week. “It will be totally completed by July 31; all we have to do is install television sets and refrigerators and those kinds of things.” Some doctors will be housed at private dwellings during their two year stay in TT. The Ministry is using a real estate agent, and officials have been looking at various properties. “All that will hinge on our final decision where we are putting these people,” said Sankar.

At Hotel Normandie, the Cubans were shielded from speaking to the media. Asked if they spoke English one male doctor responded with a confident “yes.” However, there was no further comment from the doctors and nurses. PS O’Brien replied for them saying: “Habla Ingles muy bien.” Officials said a media briefing would take place, but could not say when. The Cubans will rest today and over the weekend before starting their orientation course on Monday. Another batch of 40 doctors and nurses will arrive next month. Cuba boasts of having one family doctor for every 500-700 people and every year 4,000 medical students start medical training at 23 different universities. It has 400 polyclinics and 263 hospitals.