The United States Department of State warned on Thursday to the governments that have agreements with the Cuban regime to receive healthcare personnel from the so-called medical missions, urging them to seek fair alternatives that do not violate the rights of professionals.
"There are ethical and legal ways to hire Cuban medical professionals abroad that benefit the doctors and not the regime. We appreciate the opportunity to engage in dialogue with governments, institutions, and workers seeking fair alternatives. Let us put an end to human trafficking," published the Official Account of the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the State Department on the social network X.
In another message published by the same official account, the U.S. government insisted that “governments receiving Cuban medical missions must ensure fair labor practices.”
In addition, he emphasized that "transparency is key: agreements must be public and Cuban medical workers should have the same rights as local medical professionals, not be treated as commodities by the Cuban regime."
In March of last year, the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, described the international medical missions organized by the Cuban regime as "an atrocious practice," for operating under conditions of labor exploitation.
However, he announced that he will evaluate each case in the Caribbean, where several countries depend on these services, and acknowledged that there are places where Cuban specialists have "better working conditions."
During a press conference held in Jamaica, Rubio denounced that in many Cuban missions, doctors do not receive their salaries directly and are even deprived of their passports to prevent them from fleeing.
"In many other parts of the world, doctors are not paid directly. The Cuban government is paid instead. Their passports are taken away. Basically, they operate as forced labor in many places," stated the U.S. official.
The regime launched an attack against Marco Rubio following the recent expansion of visa restrictions imposed by the United States, which affect Cuban officials and other individuals involved in the island's labor export program, particularly international medical missions.
Cuba's Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez, accused the new Secretary of State of prioritizing his "personal agenda" over the interests of the United States, pointing out that the measure against visas associated with international medical cooperation agreements represents the seventh act of aggression against the Cuban people in just one month.
However, recently the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, defended the Cuban medical mission system with cynical rhetoric, justifying that health professionals from the island must give part of their salaries to the regime because they received "free education."
This statement, made in response to the U.S. decision to impose sanctions on officials from third countries that hire Cuban doctors under exploitative conditions, has sparked a strong debate regarding the labor rights of these professionals.
In that regard, the Cuban regime highlighted in March the support of Caribbean leaders for its medical cooperation program, amid international scrutiny and the sanctions imposed by the United States.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry emphasized that several prime ministers in the region expressed their willingness to forgo access to U.S. territory rather than do without Cuban medical assistance, which they consider essential for their healthcare systems.
Frequently asked questions about Cuban medical missions and warnings from the United States
What has the United States declared about Cuban medical missions?
The United States has warned that Cuban medical missions could constitute a form of human trafficking, urging the countries that receive them to ensure fair and transparent labor practices that do not violate the rights of Cuban medical professionals.
Why does the United States consider Cuban medical missions to be problematic?
The United States views Cuban medical missions as a mechanism for labor exploitation because Cuban doctors work under strict surveillance conditions and must hand over a large portion of their salaries to the Cuban regime, which is characterized as exploitation and forced labor.
How does Cuba respond to U.S. sanctions and warnings regarding medical missions?
The Cuban regime rejects allegations of human trafficking and defends its medical cooperation programs as essential for developing countries. It claims that these missions are legitimate agreements between governments and considers the U.S. sanctions as a political aggression.
What impact do these medical missions have on Cuban workers?
Cuban doctors face restrictive working conditions, including the retention of passports and the obligation to hand over up to 85% of their salaries to the Cuban state. These practices have been described as forms of "modern slavery" by human rights organizations.
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