The University of Medical Sciences in Las Tunas is experiencing the typical September hustle and bustle. Classrooms in their various locations open their doors to a diverse group of students who aspire to become healthcare professionals. Behind them, a highly qualified faculty of more than a thousand teachers redoubles its efforts.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- For the rector, Enelis Reyes Reyes, the month also begins with many challenges, both objective and subjective, all of which are contingent on providing the best training for the young people who will sustain the province's health services in the future.

The rector emphasizes that this course will present many challenges. "In light of the difficult circumstances we are currently facing —such as electricity shortages, fuel shortages impacting transportation for students and teachers, and various other social difficulties— it is essential to adopt more flexible strategies to ensure the quality of the teaching process is maintained."

"We have already secured spaces in the libraries for anyone who needs to study and cannot do so at home due to the lack of electricity. Similarly, we have arranged for extra food for external students, making it easier for them to buy it while they are at the institution.

“We want them to use the resources we have available, our laboratories. Society is going through complex times, and the University is taking action to support its members. That is how we want to see the process unfold.”

Dr. Enelis assures us that, given the current situation, their goal is to achieve a satisfactory enrollment retention rate for the institution by the 18th of this month.

"We project to take on more than 600 students in the initial year and achieve a stable total of around 4,000, including undergraduate and graduate students. The experience of the University College, for the first time, is also an extra motivation that shows us a better path toward vocational training."

"This year, we have also set ourselves the goal of perfecting our methodological strategies, so that the faculty can advance professionally and scientifically, because this is the only way to guarantee rigorous teaching quality. I always say that student retention starts with their motivation, and this is directly nourished by the classes they receive. We want to motivate them, to show them a world that is fascinating in itself."

“At the same time, we seek to grow with doctorates in science, master's degrees, and the categorization of professors. That has to be our intention, and we must embrace it as an upward trend. We know our teachers very well, their proven abilities, but some are elderly and retiring, so their replacement has to be guaranteed.”

The rector's frown reflects the teaching scenarios at the province's five hospitals, 14 polyclinics, and more than 400 medical offices.

"We have to rethink the academic year from a position of objectivity and empathy. Young people are a product of their time, and some arrive with great enthusiasm, but others do so because of family influence rather than personal decisions. We therefore have the challenge of making them fall in love with medical careers, which involve sacrifice and sensitivity, are not the best paid, but ensure the life of a human being, and that is invaluable."

"Not everything can be about studying, so in this course we will have healthy recreational activities, activities organized by the University Student Federation (FEU in Spanish), both on and off campus, and university spaces that help them grow culturally as well. We have planned to reopen the FEU House. It will take resources, but our young people deserve the best."

“We aspire for this university to become a home where they can exploit their potential not only academically, but also artistically, athletically, and personally. If we manage to accompany them on these paths, our work will surely bear fruit.”