Medical School Welcomes Former Cuba-Based Students

BY: .

UKZN’s College of Health Sciences’ Student Support Services (SSS) welcomed 12 students from the Nelson Mandela – Fidel Castro Medical Collaboration Programme to the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine.

Chaired by student counsellors, Dr Kamilla Rawatlal and Mrs Wulganithi Thaver, an academic orientation and Integration programme examined several aspects that might be useful for a student in a new environment.

The students, from Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West, Eastern Cape, have been studying medicine in Cuba for the past five years.

Thaver said the orientation programme aimed to enhance the students’ personal growth and help make their integration to UKZN a smooth one.

Presentations by Student Funding Academic Services, Occupational Health and Safety and the UKZN AIDS programme gave students an understanding about services available to them should they come across any challenges or setbacks.

Thaver said several issues could lead to study setbacks; ‘The most common are personal relationship problems, family issues, mental health problems, grief and family bereavements.’

Rawatlal said ‘We offer free, professional and confidential counselling and academic support service to all registered students at the College.’

Services included academic orientation; collaborative programmes and personal counselling provided by professional psychologists and social workers

A focus group session was facilitated by counsellors to assist the students to ‘debrief’ and ease the transition of returning to the academic programme.

Nombuso Dlamini