Apply to Go Study Medicine in Cuba 2024 (South African Government Bursary)
You can't watch Greys or House and not want to be a doctor pic from Greys Fan Page |
What is the criteria for applicants to go study medicine in Cuba:
- Passed Matric with good marks, that means a bachelors pass with an average above 70%
- You must be between the ages 18 and 25 years old
- Applicants already registered at Nursing Colleges and Higher Education Institutions in their third year of study or who have obtained a tertiary qualification will NOT be considered
How long will it take for you to become a doctor:
- 1 year of spanish and foundation coursesThis bursary is meant for people who cannot pay for funding themselves, usually people who would also qualify for financial aid (Nsfas) but people who want to study medicine and can afford to pay part of the fees can also apply (the government would do some form of assessment to calculate their contribution and your families contribution). This bursary is for anyone who really wants to be a doctor and did not manage to get into a South African medical school, it also offers you the opportunity to travel to another country and learn a new language.
- 5 years of medical studies
- 2 years of medical studies at a South African University to complete your studies so that you are ready to serve the South African public (as Cuba and South Africa do not have the same health problems, there isn't so much exposure to HIV that side).
I have been through this application process before and I know people currently studying in Cuba, what generally happens is that you will have to go get an application form at your nearest provincial hospital or the district (department of health) municipal office and then you will have to complete and fill in the forms and return them with the required documents by the deadline which is usually around the end of June every year. You will be contacted a month later in July to come do some form of assessment which is not that difficult, think of Nbt tests but easier, then a few weeks later you will be called again so that you will all go to a hospital so that they can perform a full set of medical tests on you. They do X-ray scans, a sputum test to check for Tb, a blood test to test for HIV and Hepatitis and other diseases transmitted through fluids, for girls they also check your pee to test if you are pregnant.
If you come back positive for HIV or Hepatitis or if you are pregnant, you will not be able to go study in Cuba. They discourage people from falling pregnant while studying as well as they say you are a bad example for other students so you will be sent back to SA (if you do not have an abortion), there is a limit to the amount of abortions you can have before they will send you back to SA. So basically they are looking for smart young students, who are in perfect health and are wise enough to focus on studies, who will be able to abstain from sex or at least use protection if they are sexually active while in Cuba so that they can successfully complete their studies without any major distractions.
Oh and you will not come back home for the first year you are there, you will only be able to come home once a year from your second year (I am not sure if this has changed), that is unless you have your own money to book your own tickets(then you could come back home more often). The government will book you a ticket if one of your parents dies but not if you don't have a good reason or your cousin or aunt dies etc.
Those who are accepted for the bursary are then distributed at various medical schools in Cuba, you sign a contract with the government before you leave SA.
So if you are still keen to go and study in Cuba this is the application process:
Go to your nearest government hospital and ask for applications forms by HR department, or go to your districts municipal office and ask for application forms which you will fill in and send back with the following documents:
Certified copies of the following documents must be included with the application form:
- CV
- Birth Certificate (of applicant and all dependants of the parents)
- Identification Document (applicant and parents guardian)
- Passport (if available, but they will tell you when to go and get your passports during the application process if you have been chosen to go to Cuba)
- National Certificate (statements of results if you recently passed matric in 2021)
- Proof registration from the University (if currently registered)
- Academic record (progress report from the University )
- Proof of income of both parents or guardians (sworn affidavits for those Without proof of income) - - Proof of residence (in the form of utility bill or account registered in parents or guardians name).
Also follow South African government account on twitter they share a lot of helpful information.
This is another reason to join twitter, so you can get such details. |
I also got that notification, it read "If you know anyone interested in studying medicine this year and needs funding, please forward their name and contact number to Hlammy Shimange at 083 945 8436. Requirements: - 72% average matric pass -Country of study: Cuba."
Update
How to find the latest government health bursaries:
When there are bursaries from the government (the department of health) that are available they are usually posted on the noticeboards of government hospitals and at local municipalities should your local municipality fail to make the public aware of such bursaries then here are some tip on finding bursaries whether it be a bursary to go study in Cuba or within South Africa, all bursaries are from your provinces department of health, if the funds of the department of health have not been misused.
Please read this article by the kzn department of health which explains the whole process of government bursaries: http://www.kznhealth.gov.za/bursaries.htm
The example above is the KZN department of health, for other provinces go check your provinces department of health pages or type [your provinces name department of health bursaries] on google to find bursary ads posted by government. (Please replace the red writing with the name of the province you reside in). Another thing to do would be to just type department of health cuba bursary on google (see picture below) and you would get the bursary ad for Mpumalanga on the first page of google. Some officials usually share that they will be offering such bursaries to people with top matric marks from disadvantaged backgrounds. On those department of health websites you will also get contact details, so if you have any questions you can just call them and find out about when you can aspect bursary opportunities to be published. They will have an idea as they are supposed to be familiar with this as there are bursaries awarded to students every year.
how to search for Cuba medicine bursary |
This bursary closes on the 14th of June.