Lessons from the Cuba-Timor-Leste Health Co-operation, 2009 presentation by Tim Anderson of Sydney University.

8/14/2019 Lessons from the Cuba-Timor-Leste Health Co-operation, 2009 presentation by Tim Anderson of Sydney University.

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Lessons from the Cuba-Timor Leste

Health Co-operation

Tim Anderson, University of Sydney

Health Care Personnel Training Session

Transforming Timor Leste ConferenceDili, 6 July, 2009

8/14/2019 Lessons from the Cuba-Timor-Leste Health Co-operation, 2009 presentation by Tim Anderson of Sydney University.

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Largest and most effective health aid

program in the region yet very little

studied

I want to outline how it happened, before

moving to these two questions:

What makes this program profound?

What are the lessons from it?

8/14/2019 Lessons from the Cuba-Timor-Leste Health Co-operation, 2009 presentation by Tim Anderson of Sydney University.

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How did it happen?

Agreement on program early 2003 at Non

Aligned Movement summit in Malaysia

Program grew rapidly 2004-2006

2003, first students leave for Cuba, September

2004, 15 doctors arrive in TL, April

2005, scholarship offer raised to 300, April (JRH)

2005, scholarship offer raised to 1,000, Dec (MA)

2006, almost 300 Cuban health workers in TL

8/14/2019 Lessons from the Cuba-Timor-Leste Health Co-operation, 2009 presentation by Tim Anderson of Sydney University.

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Why 1,000 scholarships? A number of African countries had several dozen Cuban

scholarships, and Cuban doctors, but

the only other Cuban program outside LatAm of this

scale was for Western Sahara (UN decol list) Cuba (a NOAL leader) clearly identified with TLs newly

independent status, and its liberation struggle

Fidel Castro commented that Cuba perhaps did not help

TL as much as it could have, in the past (RA) The program 2003-2005 had proceeded very well

8/14/2019 Lessons from the Cuba-Timor-Leste Health Co-operation, 2009 presentation by Tim Anderson of Sydney University.

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What makes this program profound?

Question of technical excellence? c.f. USGO

behaviour and accreditation

Developing country oriented training, with

preventive and primary focus Ethos of training public sector, solidarity

oriented, against entrepreneurial medicine

Systematic nature large scale, long term,coordinated and with an exit strategy

8/14/2019 Lessons from the Cuba-Timor-Leste Health Co-operation, 2009 presentation by Tim Anderson of Sydney University.

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Benefits of the approach:

Rural health care system initiated and serviced

by Cuban doctors, at minimal cost

Training aims to address needs of entire nationalsystem, with indigenous personnel

Rural, preventive, primary focus meets needs

Ethos and scale should mitigate the brain drain Cuban technical and further training back up

8/14/2019 Lessons from the Cuba-Timor-Leste Health Co-operation, 2009 presentation by Tim Anderson of Sydney University.

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What lessons and challenges?

For Timor Leste:

Need to continue investing in infrastructure and

human resources

Flexible incorporation of incoming graduates

Commitment to support and develop TL Faculty

of Medicine

Coordination of the various international healthprograms and projects

8/14/2019 Lessons from the Cuba-Timor-Leste Health Co-operation, 2009 presentation by Tim Anderson of Sydney University.

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For global cooperation:

Note Cubas preparatory training in language

and science (c.f. required language standards)

Note benefits of systematic programs, with fulltransmission of skills (c.f. projects, dependency)

Look for articulation of health cooperation

programs (through TL Health) making use ofnew human capacity (c.f. projects)