Gomez said over a 100,000 foreign medical students have graduated from Cuban medical schools and these doctors are successfully practising their profession all over the world. "Currently more than 25,000 foreign medical students are enrolled in Cuba and the Pakistani contingent is receiving the same high quality of medical education as being provided to the foreign as well as local medical students there," he added.
"The medical colleges where Pakistani students study have been included in the WHO Directory," said the ambassador, alleviating any doubts regarding the standard of education in Cuba. He further reiterated that there was only one stream of medical education in Cuba for all students.
The Cuban envoy said certain students were disrupting the educational process and they would be handled as per the disciplinary rules. In reciprocation, Chairman HEC Dr Laghari expressed gratitude to the diplomat for Cuban government's generous gesture in providing free education to the Pakistani students. He expressed his pleasure over the fact that Pakistani students were among the best foreign students and had learnt the Spanish language in record time.
The scholarship programme is a gift from Cuban government for the Pakistani nation, instituted after the 2005 earthquake. Pakistani students are studying at three medical schools in Cuba where special arrangements to serve Halal food, provide prayer rooms and residential facilities have been provided to them.
It is expected that these students, on their return from Cuba, would be able to make a substantial contribution in improving the health of the common man, in Pakistan. The meeting was also attended by Dr Sohail Naqvi, Executive Director HEC and Dr Riaz Quereshi, Adviser HRD.