The group is made up of specialists, nurses and technicians
14ymedio, Havana, October 13, 2024 — As if the departure of 5,000 Cuban doctors to Mexico in the midst of the health crisis on the Island were not enough, the regime continues to export health workers to the region. This Friday, a “contingent” of 12 specialists arrived in Dominica, the Cuban Embassy in the Caribbean country announced. A month earlier, in September, another group of Cubans, whose number is unknown, landed in Roseau.
The official reception took place at Douglas-Charles International Airport and was attended by the Cuban ambassador, Miguel Fraga and the chief medical officer of Dominica, Lynora Fevrier Drigo, who praised the presence of health workers and recalled his years of medical training in Cuba.
“The group of Cuban collaborators is composed of specialists, nurses and technicians, who will be distributed in various health centers throughout the island. Their work will be key in strengthening primary care and other essential medical services,” adds the statement from the Cuban Foreign Ministry.
Fraga, for his part, alluded to the cooperation between Havana and Roseau in “crucial” moments
Fraga, for his part, alluded to the cooperation between Havana and Roseau in “crucial” moments. “The mission of our collaborators is clear: to improve the quality of life and health of the people of Dominica. We fully trust that they will achieve this with the dedication and professionalism that characterize Cuban doctors.”
The news, with a marked tone of protocol, could not be more brief. The secrecy surrounding the sending of doctors to Dominica highlights the regime’s intention to avoid further criticism of its “medical missions,” which have been pointed out on numerous occasions by international organizations as tools of labor exploitation and an example of modern slavery.
No details are known about the group of doctors who arrived in Dominica in September. Composed of specialists in intensive care, general medicine, neonatology, obstetrics, radiography, laboratory, electromedicine and nursing, the contingent was received by the Dominican Minister of Health, Cassanni Laville. Then, Fraga, also present, added that the medical collaboration between the two countries has been longstanding since the 1990s, and that Cuba has graduated 130 doctors from Dominica in its universities.
No details have been given about the group of doctors who arrived in Dominica in September
Havana, however, found a mine of unparalleled benefits in the Mexico of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose Administration hired 5,000 Cuban health workers to supposedly send them to rural areas. According to data published by the local press, the Government pays each foreign doctor more than 5,000 dollars in salary and stipends.
The amount of the total payments that Mexico has made to the Island since the hiring of health workers began a few years ago is unknown, but some data that have come to light offer an estimate. As part of three agreements signed between July 2022 and 2023, Cuba received $25.4 million for just 610 doctors.
The Mexican medical union has also complained on several occasions that the hiring of foreigners, who are offered better salaries and benefits, is detrimental to national professionals. However, it is unlikely that the situation will improve for them because, since her victory in the elections, the newly invested president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, has promised that she will continue López Obrador’s agreements with Havana.
Translated by Regina Anavy
____________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.
