Achieving improvements in Universal Health Coverage will require a re-orientation of medical education towards a
stronger focus on primary health care. Innovative medical curricula have been implemented in some countries, but
in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the emphasis remains focused on hospital and speciality
services. Cuba has a long history of supporting LMICs and has made major contributions to African health care and
medical training. A scheme for training South African students in Cuba was established 20 years ago and expanded
more recently, with around 700 Cuban-trained graduates returning to South Africa each year from 2018 to 2022.
The current strategy is to re-orientate and re-train these graduates in South African medical schools for up to 3
years as they are perceived to have inadequate skills. This negative narrative on Cuban-trained doctors in South
Africa could be changed dramatically. They have highly appropriate skills in primary care and prevention and could
provide much needed services to rural and urban under-served populations whilst gaining an orientation to the
health problems of South Africa and strengthening their skills. Bilateral arrangements between South Africa and the
United Kingdom are providing mechanisms to support such schemes. The Cuban approach to medical education
may have lessons for many countries attempting to meet the challenges of Universal Health Coverage.