Vol. 72/No. 3      January 21, 2008

The Garifuna are of mixed African and indigenous descent. They have their own language and are concentrated on the Atlantic Coast of Central America, especially in Belize, Honduras, Guatamala, and Nicaragua. Garifunas face systematic discrimination and, as a result, widespread malnutrition, parasites, and illiteracy. As much as 14 percent of Garifunas in Honduras are infected with AIDS, according to the World Health Organization.

Hundreds of Cuban doctors have been providing free medical care in Honduras, especially in remote rural areas that would otherwise have no such services. The first Cuban doctors arrived in 1998 in the wake of Hurricanes Georges and Mitch, which wreaked havoc in Central America. Worldwide, about 30,000 volunteer Cuban doctors are providing services in 68 countries.

The Cuban government has trained thousands of students from around the world free of charge at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Cuba.

The Cuban newspaper Granma International reported that at the December 8 inaugural ceremony at the new hospital, speakers noted that more Garifuna students and doctors from Honduras are currently enrolled in the Cuban medical school than have studied medicine in the 150-year history of the National University of Honduras.

Some of the first Garifuna students who graduated from the ELAM in 2005 helped launch a community project called Health for Our People and set out to build a community hospital.

The new Garifuna doctors have already treated over 20,000 patients in local communities, according to a recent report by the U.S.-based group MEDICC (Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba).  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home