Why Cuba's training American doctors

[Judi Lynn]

Why Cuba's training American doctors
As MARINA JIMÉNEZ reports, their presence is a political victory for Fidel CastroBy MARINA JIMÉNEZ

Friday, June 17, 2005 Page A13

HAVANA -- With his mastery of Cuban slang, love of guavas and chess in the parque central, Cedric Edwards could easily pass for a Habanero. Only his name gives him away.

The young man from New Orleans is about to make medical -- and political -- history.

This month, he will become the first American doctor to graduate from the Latin American School of Medicine (known by its Spanish acronym ELAM), a school that is exclusively for foreigners and is free.

"I'm not trying to make a political statement. I just wanted to become a doctor," says Mr. Edwards, 32, with the dazed look of someone who has just finished a 24-hour on-call shift at Havana's Salvador Allende Hospital, where he spent much of the night treating patients with cardiac failure, diabetes and leg ulcers.

"It feels good, but it's a little scary at the same time to be the test case. Sure, I'm worried there could be political repercussions in the U.S.," says Mr. Edwards, who has avoided interviews until now. "But people are misinformed about Cuba, and as they learn more about the medical system, they will see its high standards."
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