14ymedio, Havana, 16 March 2017 — The Cuban Government will offer to Colombia one thousand scholarships to study medicine on the Island, of which 500 will go to former FARC guerrillas and another 500 to civilians without ties with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
The proposal was presented by the Cuban ambassador in Colombia, José Luis Ponce Caballero, to Iván Márquez and to the Commission for implementation, monitoring, verification, and resolution of differences of the Final Peace Agreement (CSVR). It is a contribution to the peace process and to the post-conflict phase.
The 1,000 grants will be distributed over five years and the first course will begin this coming September. Each year 100 grants will be awarded to the Government and 100 to the FARC for its management.
“The embassy of the Republic of Cuba will deliver to the Government of Colombia and the FARC a document detailing the offer, which is being prepared by the Cuban authorities,” Ponce said.
Iván Márquez, a former FARC guerrilla and leader of the peace process on the part of the guerrillas, thanked the Cuban government for the gesture. “To Army General Raúl Castro, our gratitude for filling Colombia with his love and solidarity He supports peace and offers us doctors,” he said.
The total price for a foreigner without a scholarship who wants to study medicine on the island is about $85,000 for six years of study.
Translator’s note: Foreigners studying medicine in Cuba attend the Latin American School of Medicine, which was established specifically to educate foreigners separately from Cubans.
