"‘We survive on bread and water’: Ghanaian students denounce the crisis in Cuba"

Medical students from Ghana in Cuba have made an urgent appeal to their government after reporting that they have been 17 months without receiving their stipends and are surviving in critical conditions, subsisting on nothing but bread and water for days.

In a letter and statement released this Tuesday, the National Union of Ghanaian Students in Cuba (NUGS) requested the immediate intervention of President John Dramani Mahama to ensure the payment of outstanding scholarships and to restore the book allowances that have been suspended for five years.

"We're not asking for luxuries, we are begging to survive," expressed the students, who warned that their situation is already a humanitarian emergency.

Young people report that they are forced to walk between 10 and 15 kilometers daily to attend classes and clinical rotations because they cannot afford public transportation.

The lack of resources in a country with one of the highest inflation rates in the world has also reduced access to the Internet, which is essential for academic development.

It has been reported that the food in the cafeterias is “unsanitary, filled with flies and worms,” leading many to skip meals or survive on bread and water. Several students have fainted during clinical practices due to malnutrition and exhaustion, they emphasize.

The NUGS also points out that the lack of updated books and materials seriously compromises the quality of education. "Many rely on photocopied, inherited, and outdated texts," the statement warns.

The report emphasizes that the crisis has also exacerbated mental health issues among students, with increasing cases of anxiety and depression. "We live in poverty and humiliation due to debts that Ghana owes to other foreign countries," they stated.

This is not the first time that African students in Cuba have reported on their living conditions.

In 2019, the government of Ghana claimed to have spent over 37 million dollars on training 250 doctors on the island, which sparked criticism in that country due to the similarly precarious conditions faced by the students on the island.

In 2021, the death of Ghanaian student Erasmus Klutse, apparently due to the terrible living conditions he faced, sparked accusations of medical negligence on the island. The governments of Cuba and Ghana defended themselves against the allegations and did not take responsibility for the young man's death.

In Cuba, hundreds of young people from African countries are studying medicine, and in recent years, complaints have become common due to the low quality of life on the island and issues with the payment of their monthly fees.

In 2019, a group of around fifty Kenyan students reported the difficult living conditions in the Caribbean country and shared that their experience in Cuba was far from the idyllic image promoted by the island's Ministry of Health when inviting those interested in these courses.

Call to the government of Ghana

In light of the worsening situation, the students are appealing directly to President Mahama: “This is a moment to restore hope. We ask you to act swiftly and decisively, not only for us but for the generations of patients we are being trained to serve.”

Young people demand the immediate payment of all overdue stipends, the reinstatement of the book allowance, and the establishment of a sustainable framework to prevent future crises. “Today we fight simply for survival,” concludes the statement.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Situation of Ghanaian Students in Cuba