2007/10/31 by Robert Huish, John M. Kirk · 2 citations
Medicine · Social Sciences · #Caribbean history, culture, and politics #Cuban History and Society #Global Health and Surgery
paper · doi:10.1177/0094582x07308119
openalex publication_date 2007/10/31 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
In response to Hurricane Mitch (1998) in Central America, which claimed over 30,000 lives, Cuba sent medical brigades to the affected region and constructed the Latin American School of Medicine just outside Havana. This medical school offers a free six-year medical education to students from rural and marginalized communities in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the United States. This establishment is a logical continuation of a long-standing tradition of Cuban medical internationalism that emphasizes investment in human capital. This is a progressive movement not just in foreign policy but also in community medicine that has an important place in dialogues about capacity building and human security strategies for the twenty-first century.