Despite Havana’s reported assurances of normalcy, a crippling infrastructure collapse has left Jamaican medical students in Cuba facing severe hardships, including the reduction in teaching sessions, threatening both their career training and mental health.

The students, four of whom spoke to The Gleaner on condition of anonymity, fearing academic reprisal, are urging the Jamaican Government to intervene and demand transparency from Cuban authorities, who, they say, gave assurances concerning their academic programmes.

One final-year student said that the nationwide fuel shortage has forced the reduction of classes to between one and three days per week and that clinical instruction at hospitals is virtually “non-existent”.