Things are looking up for Cuba, at least in the health technology industry. A recently concluded conference assessing the training of professionals in the medical technology and electro medicine fields showed promising results which could leave a bold and lasting impact for a country on the road to recovery.
The 3rd International Health Technologies Conference was held in Havana, Cuba from March 27th to 31st and facilitated meeting between teachers and technicians in various medical-technological fields which include podiatry, electro medicine, nutrition and dietetics, optometry, and bio-analysis among others.
The earlier conferences took place in 2009 and 2014. This year’s event highlighted more involvement from students who need more exposure and experience from research projects.
Dr. María Lazo Pérez, head of the University of Havana Health Technologies school’s post-graduate department of Science, Innovation, and Technology said the convention was meant to “promote instructive exchanges that would help us define strategies towards guaranteeing the quality training of our professionals, so they can provide better services to the population”.
She noted that Cuba had been successful at producing medical science university graduates since the 70s as well as in the early 2000s. Now
adays, the country is known for grooming and training MSc and PhD professionals who conduct timely and relevant research on these fields.
Over the years, Cuba has produced around 37,000 graduates in the health and technology field, Faculty of Health Technology Dean Maj. Antonio Humberto Rodríguez, said. Additionally, the country also has around 35,000 able and highly-qualified teaching staff in the core competencies of health technology.
It is admirable that Cuba is taking the first bold steps towards upgrading their medical technology skills and expertise through conventions such as these. While the country may be lacking in financial support, infrastructure, and digital developments, education and health technology is a good place as any to start.
Training the future generation of teachers and professionals, and specializing in modern industries such as health technology, certainly sends the right signal to the rest of the world and leaves a lasting and bold impact on such a scarred nation.
