23/08/2001 21:23 - (SA). News24.com.
Pietersburg - Twenty-three youths from the Northen Province will leave for
Cuba on Monday to train as doctors for the next six years.
The youths, who come from poor rural families, responded to a provincial
health department advert in March that sought matriculants who wanted to study
medicine.
More than 1 000 applications were sent to the department and selection was
not easy, said departmental deputy director of nursing services Johanna
Mojapelo.
"The selection criteria was clear that we were only looking for rural
youths from poor families and who had good academic records," Mojapelo
said.
It was especially important that the applicants had good mathematics and
biology marks. She said many applicants were either sitting at home doing
nothing because they couldn't find work or afford to study further.
When they return to South Africa, they will be deployed to rural hospitals
in the province and be required to serve the provincial government for two
years. - African Eye News Service | 
