Gov’t spent $37m on training Ghanaian doctors in Cuba – Health Ministry

Deputy Health Minister, Alexander Abban has said government spent a total 37 million dollars to train the over 200 doctors sent to Cuba.

Alexander Abban said the payment included tuition, feeding, accommodation and monthly stipends for the seven-year stay in Cuba.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony of the 250 doctors to the Health Ministry, Alexander Abban said the government will continue to invest in the human resource of the country.

“On the average, 150, 000 dollars was expended on each one of them. If you do the Mathematics as against 250 students who were transported to that country, it comes to 37, 500,000 dollars,” Mr. Abban said.

The over 200 doctors, drawn from every district, were sent to Cuba under the Mills administration to be trained as doctors as part of a special level of cooperation.

The arrival of the doctors was the subject of controversy with calls from the Minority to get them fully integrated.

The doctors will have to write a Ghana Medical and Dental Council exams to be fully integrated into the Ghana Health Service.

But some of them who spoke to Citi News shortly after their arrival in the country said the government should reconsider the writing of the examination.

Ghana’s cooperation with Cuba in the area of health has been consistent for a very long time.