La Jornada – Covid hits the plan to expand medical residencies abroad

Mexico City. The plan to expand the coverage of medical residency places abroad will not be carried out as planned, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In this generation of students “not everything that is intended will be achieved,” said the Undersecretary of Health, Hugo López-Gatell.

Some progress was made with Cuba, Russia and Argentina, but everything “was very limited” and those who did not pass the National Exam of Medical Residences or did not do so “because they bet” to go abroad will be left without studying the medical specialty in this year, he said without elaborating.

Last November, the specific program of the federal government to grant 1,600 scholarships from the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt) was announced for the same number of doctors who could study the specialization in Argentina, Cuba, the United States, Canada and Australia.

The objective is to correct the lack of specialists in the country, which was clearly evidenced by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Through the strategy, students who go abroad should assume the commitment to complete their studies and return to Mexico to work in public sector hospitals, with a contract guaranteed according to the years of specialty.

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