A report by ‘El Pais’ in Calabria reveals that Cuban healthcare workers in the region have, for years, received their full salary and then sent “a portion” back to the Island.
14ymedio, Madrid, March 3, 2026 – Dominica confirmed this Monday that it is joining the list of countries modifying the terms of its agreement with Cuba for the recruitment of doctors from the Island, although the regime may have found a way to circumvent Washington’s main argument against these programs.
“We recognize that we must introduce some changes to the medical workers program, and we appreciate that the Government of Cuba has kindly agreed to cooperate with us in our effort to comply with the new requirements for Cuban healthcare workers,” said this Monday Vince Henderson, Foreign Minister of the Caribbean island.
At present, Henderson said, 65 Cuban doctors are providing services in the country, including physicians, specialists, nurses, and technicians, but the collaboration has lasted for decades. “I want to take this opportunity to thank Cuba for more than 30 years of support to the Government and people of the Commonwealth of Dominica through the sending of medical workers,” the foreign minister added.
“We will always be grateful to Cuba. They have been true friends in good times and bad,” he continued, while praising the Island’s role in training Dominican healthcare professionals who graduated in Cuba, as well as Havana’s assistance in establishing the country’s first intensive care unit and diagnostic center.
“We will always be grateful to Cuba. They have been true friends in good times and bad.”
The information formalizes what Henderson himself had already hinted at during the Caricom summit on February 24, when he first mentioned the issue, saying his Government planned to “make changes to the Cuban healthcare workers program” and that if there had to be an exit, it would be as gradual as possible to avoid affecting the population. However, Monday’s remarks do not suggest a withdrawal but rather a reform of the agreements, a path several countries have chosen, although the new method has not been disclosed.
The key, already pointed out by the Bahamas and Jamaica, appears to lie in direct payment to healthcare workers, something that has reportedly been done for a long time in Calabria, according to Tuesday’s report by El País. The Spanish newspaper traveled to the John Paul II Hospital in Lamezia Terme, in southern Italy, and spoke with members of the Cuban team, as well as with Calabria’s president, Roberto Occhiuto, just days after his meeting with the U.S. chargé d’affaires in Cuba, Mike Hammer.
“I frankly explained that the Cuban doctors currently present are indispensable to keep hospitals and emergency services operational,” Occhiuto said. “I clarified that our healthcare system is open to professionals of all nationalities.” According to the politician, from the conservative party Forza Italia, “the U.S. State Department has expressed its willingness to provide concrete assistance in the process of recruiting doctors,” although he did not specify how. However, those currently there will not leave at least until 2027. “They would have to close all the hospitals,” he admitted.
Calabrian authorities insist, as they had already stated after their meeting with Hammer, that by 2026 they expected to reach 1,000 Cuban doctors, although they have now opened the option to professionals of any nationality. “It is inappropriate to speak of U.S. pressure on Calabria to end its collaboration with Cuban doctors. The U.S. Administration, even during the presidency of Joe Biden, has never hidden its lack of enthusiasm for this initiative, but it cannot be considered interference or imposition,” Occhiuto tempered.
At the Lamezia hospital, General Antonio Battistini, former head of medical services for the Italian army, serves as commissioner and describes the Cubans as a relief. “In a region that still lacks a specialization school in emergency medicine, being able to rely on trained doctors represents a resource that is hard to replace,” he said. He commands 20 doctors in a province that has had 48, although three defected — five in the entire region.
“I was skeptical at first because the system is very complex. However, after a natural adaptation period, their contribution has been noticeable not only quantitatively but qualitatively.”
“Initially, the agreement provided that from the gross salary of 4,700 euros, about 1,200 would go directly to the doctors and the rest to the agency dependent on the Cuban Government. But it was changed two months later and the amount is transferred in a single payment to the doctors, who then send a portion to the Island,” the report states. Until now, the only known version regarding payment was the one given by the Italian press when the agreement was signed, but the new information reveals a method that would allow the regime to evade accusations that it keeps up to 90% of the salary. Archivo Cuba had already denounced last year that this could be a solution for Havana, as it could disguise the salary transfer as a voluntary contribution.
The Italians, according to the report, are more than satisfied with the work of their Cuban counterparts. “I was skeptical at first because the system is very complex. However, after a natural adaptation period, their contribution has been noticeable not only quantitatively but qualitatively,” said Gerardo Mancuso, head of Internal Medicine at the center, emphasizing that the doctors from the Island never miss work or request days off.
Battistini, who points out the similarities between the healthcare systems of Italy and Cuba, also highlights the Cubans’ “clinical competence.” “Without them we could not keep the Emergency Department open. It could not continue to exist,” added a doctor from the same hospital.
Within the contingent, whose members have learned the local language, there are those who have previously worked in other countries such as Venezuela and Panama, and they also say they feel satisfied with their work: “I think we have helped ease the workload in the Emergency Department, since admissions number in the thousands. Calabrians are very similar to Latins. With our Italian colleagues, we have managed to coordinate in a job that is not easy.”
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.