About 20 Ghanaian medical students are stranded in Cuba and are calling on government to come to their aid immediately.
The students, who recently graduated from the medical school in that country, said government has not sent funds for their return to the country.
[contextly_sidebar id=”ScGFupaf5K5ZiEwBxKSDxLn42FGW481n”]According to them, they risk missing out on the deadline for their medical examination here in Ghana.
“It’s very frustrating living in a socialist foreign country; and being a graduate with no money”, a text message from one of the students who wanted to remain anonymous read.
She added, “the delay here will cost us the opportunity to take the Ghana Medical exam in Ghana in February. That means we have to wait a whole year before joining the health system. It’s very depressing.”
The medical officers told Citi News that government has since the beginning of this year not paid them their monthly allowances as students on scholarship abroad.
“We signed a contract with the government which states that they (government) were to provide us with monthly allowance, yearly health and book allowance, and ticket back home on finishing our study plus a winding up allowance”, another stated in another text massage.
A few of them who spoke to Citi News on condition of anonymity said they had run out of money and “are surviving on borrowed monies from our colleagues from other nationalities.”
According to them, efforts to get Ghana’s Embassy in Cuba to help them have proven futile so far.
“Since January this year, we have not received our monthly allowances. Life is hell here in Cuba. We even need to register for the next academic year and guys are not having money for passport pictures and other fees which is ongoing,” another text from another student stated.
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By: Eugenia Tenkorang/citifmonline.com/Ghana