Characterization of medical education during the decade after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution

Abstract

Introduction: During the first decade of the Cuban Revolution, important transformations took place in the health system and, especially, in medical training.

Objective: To characterize medical education during the decade following the triumph of the Cuban Revolution.

Methods: A scientific literature review study was conducted at the Pediatric Hospital of Camagüey, during the month of June 2023, in the Scopus, SciELO, DOAJ and Latindex databases. Original, review and position articles were consulted, mostly from the last five years. Medical training was characterized by the implementation and modification of the first curricula.

Development: During the analyzed period, substantial changes were made in the teaching of medical-social content in the medical career, namely: the biological approach was replaced by the preventive one; health care was declared free and universally accessible, as well as other medical services and the rural service; it began teaching in several provinces of the country; and the different disciplines, among others, were integrated. These developments marked an unprecedented transformation.

Conclusions: The research allowed us to characterize the main changes that occurred in medical education in the first ten years after 1959. In this sense, a physician with a high degree of sensitivity and principles was advocated, a promotional and preventive model was chosen, preparation began in hospitals and polyclinics, and modern medical-pedagogical trials worldwide were taken into account for the creation of the first curricula.