Латиноамериканский медицинский институт в Кубе

Medical school in Cuba

Latin American School of Medicine (LASM) (lang es (ELAM)) formerly Latin American School of Medical Sciences (Escuela Latinoamericana de Ciencias Médicas), is an international public medical school operated by the Cuban government established in 1999 and supported by the Venezuelan Government (RBDEV). Its mission is to "contribute to the training of Primary Health Care physicians in diverse regions of the World" according to Almaty objectives. ELAM has been described as possibly being the largest medical school in the world by enrollment, with approximately 19,550 students from 110 countries as reported in 2012. International students mainly come from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Africa and Asia. The school accepts students from the United States — annually, the program receives 150 applications on average, of which about 30 enroll, and 10 travel to Cuba. Tuition, room and board are free, and a small stipend is provided for students.

The main campus of Cuba's ELAM is in western Havana in the Santa Fe district of the municipio of Playa, close to the village of Playa Baracoa. This 1.2 km² campus is built on the site of an old naval academy and overlooks the sea. It consists of 28 buildings with 80 classrooms, 37 laboratories, five amphitheaters, dormitories, an infirmary, and other facilities. The campus facilities were designed to support approximately 3,500 students. Students beyond the second year of the medical program based at other medical schools around Cuba. In December 2006, approximately 3,300 students were reportedly housed on the campus. The US dorm is two stories, and students sleep on bunk beds in rooms of five to twenty if the rooms are filled to capacity. The diet in the cafeteria mainly consists of rice, beans, and bread, with the main course varying from ground soy, rice mixed with shredded chicken or pork referred to as "arroz con suerte", ham, liver, chicken or pork. The school provides all meals and housing. They also provide uniforms, monthly supplies, and a modest allowance each month. In 2005, it was announced that the Francophone Caribbean School of Medical Sciences in Santiago de Cuba — a second key campus — had been incorporated into ELAM. All US students continue years 3 to 6 at Salvador Allende Hospital in Havana, Cuba.

The mission of ELAM is to make competent and cooperative doctors with the degree of Doctor of Medicine (M. D.), the degree required to practice as a physician across the Americas. The school prefers that its students come from the poorest communities with the intent of returning to practice in those areas in their countries. Initially only enrolling students from Latin America and the Caribbean, the school has become open to applicants from impoverished and/or medically underserved areas in the United States and Africa. As part of Cuban international cooperation, ELAM is also training 800 medical doctors from Timor Leste.

The Latin American School of Medicine is officially recognized by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and the World Health Organization. It is fully accredited by the Medical Board of California.'' Final admissions decisions are made by a committee representing ELAM's faculty and the Cuban Ministry of Public Health. as part of Cuba's humanitarian and development aid response (known as the "Integral Health Plan for Central America and the Caribbean") to the devastation caused by Hurricane Georges and Hurricane Mitch in 1998, which affected several countries in Central America and the Caribbean, including Cuba. More than 11,000 people died in the resulting floods and mudslides. The first class of 1,498 ELAM doctors graduated on August 20, 2005, with 112 from other Cuban medical schools: 28 other countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States were represented by the graduates. The ceremony was led by Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. Reportedly attending were Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer of Antigua & Barbuda, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica, Prime Minister Keith Mitchell of Grenada, President Martín Torrijos of Panama, Prime Minister Denzil Douglas of St. Kitts & Nevis and Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent & the Grenadines as well as high ranking government representatives of The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. In 2004, the legality of the presence of US students at ELAM was threatened by tightened restrictions against travel to Cuba by US nationals under the administration of President George W. Bush. A CBC campaign led by Representatives Barbara Lee (D Calif.) and Charles Rangel (D NY) with 27 other members of Congress persuaded Secretary of State Colin Powell to exempt ELAM from the tightened restrictions. Applications from US citizens had been administered through the New York City based Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO), formerly headed by human rights activist and critic of the U. S. embargo of Cuba, the late Rev. Lucius Walker Jr.

The 2005 Pakistan earthquake (also known as the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, the South Asian earthquake or the Great Pakistan earthquake) was a major earthquake centered in Kashmir and in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) near the city of Muzaffarabad, Pakistan. In the international response to the 2005 Kashmir earthquake many countries, international organizations and non governmental organizations offered relief aid to the affected regions. Cuba offered 1000 scholarships in medicine for Pakistani students. The project was handed over to Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, which selected the students from all over the country. The first batch of approximately 312 students arrived Cuba in February 2007 and the second batch joined them the following year. In accordance with the ELAM's rules, the students received a one year language course in Spanish which included a premedical certificate. After the completion of the Spanish language course, all the students were moved to the different campuses of ELAM situated in other provinces, where these students are studying with other students from 50 countries and will receive an MD degree after completion of their 6 years medical studies, that includes one year of internship at affiliated hospitals. The first batch of 298 Pakistani students has been graduated and returned to Pakistan and the second batch of more than 600 students is expected to graduate in February 2015.