Cuba leaves program in Brazil after demands from new gov’t

The government of Cuba reported Wednesday (Nov. 14) it will no longer be part of the More Doctors program. Cuba’s Health Ministry described the demands made by the coming government as “unacceptable,” adding they “violate” previous agreements. President-Elect Jair Bolsonaro wrote on Twitter that Cuban will only be allowed to stay after they take the exam given to foreign doctors looking to practice in Brazil.

“We have brought their continuity in the More Doctors program under the condition that Cuban professionals should take the capacity exam and receive full salary—as most of it today is sent over to the dictatorship—and the liberty to bring their families. Sadly, Cuba did not accept it,” Bolsonaro said on social media.

“In addition to exploiting their citizens by not paying professionals their full salary, the Cuban dictatorship displays extreme irresponsibility as it disregards the negative impact made on the lives and health of Brazilians and the integrity of Cubans,” he added later on.

Cuban authorities says requiring Cuban doctors to have their license revalidated shows that Bolsonaro’s administration is questioning their training. In a document sent by Cuba’s Health Ministry, officials note that the More Doctors agreement was ratified in 2016. In the statement, questioning the skills of Cuban professionals is referred to as unworthy. “Questioning the dignity, professionalism, and altruism of Cuban collaborators cannot be accepted.”

During his campaign, Bolsonaro said he planned to preserve the program, though without any ideological bias and with the technical skills for practice demonstrated. The goal of the social initiative goes beyond health care, he argued.

More Doctors was created in 2013 under former President Dilma Rousseff to bring doctors to remote and underprivileged regions of Brazil - José Cruz/Agência Brasil

Background

More Doctors was created in 2013 under former President Dilma Rousseff to bring doctors to remote and underprivileged regions of Brazil. Cuban doctors were brought to the country as part of a deal between the governments of Cuba and Brazil through the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO), and did not include the revalidation of Cuban diplomas as a requirement. The pact was met with criticism by Brazilian medical organizations.

According to official figures, 18,240 doctors are currently working in 4,058 municipalities and 34 indigenous sanitary districts.

Countries

Cuba’s Health Ministry said Cuban doctors are active in 67 countries. Over the course of 55 years, 600 thousand international missions have been registered in 64 countries, engaging 400 thousand Cuban medics.

The ministry also declared that health care agents have worked in the fight against Ebola in Africa, cholera in Haiti, and in missions linked to disasters and epidemics in Pakistan, Indonesia, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Venezuela.