The Final Call
April 13, 2010
The Medical Scholars Program
Developing Community Based Doctors
by Brian E. Muhammad
Contributing Writer
An expert panel discussion titled "Developing Community Based
Doctors: A Solution to the Health Crises in America" was convened by Muhammad
University of Islam (M.U.I.). Central to the discussion was M.U.I. Medical
Scholars Program which includes the Cuban Scholarship opportunity given to the
Nation of Islam by former president Fidel Castro and the Cuban people. The
scholarship program is an initiative by the Cuban leader to produce medical
doctors from around the world through providing full scholarships to the
celebrated Latin American School of Medicine (LASMS) in Havana.
The workshop was moderated by Dr. Larry Muhammad, National
Director of M.U.I. and the panel consisted of Sociologist, Dr. Ray Muhammad;
Shirley Muhammad of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania who is credited with being a strong
advocate for the gift; Kelly Fair of Project Achieve; Dr. Alan Jackson of
Chicago's Roseland Hospital who represented Reverend Lucius Walker and Dr. Abdul
Alim Muhammad, Minister of Health and Human Services of the Nation of Islam.
The purpose of the session was to increase awareness and
availability of the scholarship program and the critical reasons there is a need
for more Black doctors to be trained and serve the Black community. Each
panelist emphasized the importance of taking advantage of Cuba's offer as a
means to address the lack of Black doctors, starting with Dr. Ray Muhammad who
presented the case for the scholarship program's relevancy. Dr. Ray provided
evidence using current statistics on the negative health and social condition of
the Black community.
Along with the existing health disparities in America, there is
also an imbalance of who serves Black and Latino groups, according to statistics
distributed at the forum. Blacks, Latinos and Indigenous make up 25 percent of
the U.S. population, however only6 percent of the nation's physicians.
Dr. Alim said because of the exorbitant tuition costs there are
dwindling opportunities for Black youth to enter into medical school in the U.S.
"The doors are going to be closed to medical education in America
for your child," Dr. Alim said.
The gift is a "big deal" that needs to be taken full advantage of
according to Dr. Alim who has travelled to Havana several times to review
Cuba's scholarship program.
"This is the biggest thing that ever happened to Black people in
America—this is the greatest gift that we have ever received," Dr. Alim said.
Dr. Alim presented the market value of the gift in monetary terms
saying if one thousand of us took advantage of the Cuban Medical Scholarship
Program sending just one of our children to Cuba to receive a medical degree;
its worth equals $200 million.
He also said the added value if the graduates return to the
community, sets up a practice, making $100,000 per year multiplied over an
average career of forty years calculates to a $4 billion gift from the Cubans.
In the spirit of interfaith cooperation, the Nation of Islam is
working with The Interreligious Foundation
for Community Organization (IFCO) and its project "Pastors for Peace" led by
Reverend Lucius Walker Jr., as well as partnering with Christ Universal Temple
which shares the mutual goal to increase the level of academic preparedness of
students entering medical school.
Kelly Fair said she saw the program as an opportunity to
increase the vision possibility of Black youth she is working with in the
community through her church.
Dr. Alan Jackson reminded the audience of the sacrificial nature
of the gift coming from a country that has been under embargo and sanctions by
the U.S. government. Dr. Jackson said the best way to return the favor to Cuba
is for Black America to fight diligently for the lifting of the embargo.
Another highlight of the session was the appearance and
presentation of Dr. Desta Muhammad, a graduate of the program. Dr. Muhammad is
the first doctor to return from Cuba and is the Nation of Islam's first
community-based doctor to come out of the program.
scanned from print edition
article wasn't online