The students were given the Chloroquin tablets, seldomly used in Guyana for the identification and treatment of Malaria, as part of a routine medical examination by the Cuban authorities, something which Westford said is "a normal practice for foreign students upon arrival in Cuba".

She, however, strongly refuted claims that the Guyanese students were given an overdose of the tablets and felt the few students who might be bleeding through their noses and vomiting could be more as a result of the climate change since Cuba is currently very cold.

Westford, who also studied medicine in Cuba, said that from first-hand experience foreign students are treated almost like "royalty" in Cuba since the island thrives on tourism, and maintaining a good image on the international scene is paramount to the authorities. In this regard, she said the students would not be given any overdose in medication/tablets since it would hamper the island's international image.

The minister, at a news conference at her office in Georgetown to clarify the issue, urged the parents of the students in Cuba on scholarship to "relax" and "be calm" since, based on her daily contacts with the relevant contact person in Cuba, the students are all generally okay. She, however, noted that most of them are still in the process of "settling in" in the new environment, especially one so far away from home.

According to Westford, the allegations she heard indicated that some of the students were not well and that they were given "an overdose of some drug".

"The reality is that anyone who has gone to Cuba to study, and there are several persons in this country who have gone to Cuba to study and I'm one of such persons...the rules in Cuba say that once you enter that country and you're going to be there for a long period, you have to have certain medical checks done. They actually put you in a hospital which is called Tropical Medicine Hospital and they do tests for Filaria, Malaria, Typhoid, stool and urine tests and at times they will do X-Rays depending on your age," the minister said.

"Fortunately in Guyana, there are so many persons, especially in the Malaria regions, who can tell you how you feel when you drink that drug (Chloroquin) - it makes you feel a little upset, it makes you feel a little nauseating, some persons may vomit (and) I am sure that that is what some of the students who have contacted their parents would have told them -- that they had something to drink which has made them vomit or upset and that is as far as it goes.

"There is nothing to be worried about and I have been contacting several parents all morning and most of them told me that their children told them they are fine and there is no problem," Westford told reporters.

She said one of the parents who studied in Cuba before, told his son what to expect since he had had the tablets and treatment too.

"There is no such thing of anyone being given any injection or overdose of any drug (as reports suggested)," the minister assured.

She also reported that a Guyanese who had recently graduated from Cuba will be leaving Guyana today for Cuba to spend the next six months helping the students settle in. Westford said she will also be going to Cuba soon.

The students left Guyana for Cuba on September 20.