Italy’s poorest region relies on Cuban doctors despite US pressure to cut ties
Cuban Medical Mission Endures in Calabria Amid American Diplomatic Pressure
Italy s poorest region relies on Cuban - While most of Europe has moved away from international medical partnerships, Italy's southern Calabria region stands as an exception. This impoverished territory continues to depend on healthcare professionals dispatched from Cuba through a decades-old initiative that Washington has been attempting to dismantle. The Cuban medical program, which faces mounting criticism from the United States, has proven essential for maintaining hospital operations in one of Italy's most economically challenged areas.
A Nation of Physicians
Cuba maintains an extraordinary density of medical practitioners relative to its population size. According to World Health Organization statistics, the Caribbean nation boasts approximately 9.5 physicians for every 1,000 residents—nearly triple the average found among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member states. This remarkable concentration of healthcare workers stems from Cuba's community-oriented prevention approach, which has attracted attention from health systems globally. For many years, the island nation has deployed medical teams to developing countries including Venezuela and Gambia, leveraging their expertise in delivering quality care despite limited resources.
Currently, more than two hundred Cuban healthcare professionals serve in remote hospitals throughout Calabria, which holds the distinction of being Italy's least affluent region. Prior to their arrival, severe deficits in domestic medical personnel compelled certain hospital units to cease operations. Francesco Moschella, the lead physician at Polistena hospital, described the situation to The Associated Press:
It was a disaster. I was keeping the emergency room open all by myself.
He was referring to the period before Cuban doctors arrived in January 2023.
Washington's Growing Concerns
The presence of Cuban medical staff in Calabria prompted a visit from American officials. Washington has characterized the program as a financial benefit for Cuba's socialist administration, which has faced isolation and sanctions under the Trump administration. Despite this pressure, Calabria's regional president has declined to terminate the arrangement. Occhiuto acknowledged that while Cuba's political system does not align with his personal views, the region cannot afford to lose these healthcare workers.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has characterized the Cuban medical missions as
a form of human trafficking
, referencing Cuba's practice of retaining most physicians' salaries and reportedly confiscating certain passports. Mike Hammer, the American head of mission to Cuba, traveled to Calabria in February accompanied by the consul-general in Naples. Occhiuto explained:
I had some pressures also during the Biden administration. But pressure grew under Trump.
The regional leader informed Hammer that his government is developing incentives to attract Calabrian physicians back home.
But at the same time, I have also reiterated to the US Ambassador Hammer that I needed to keep hospitals open and that I intend to keep the Cuban doctors who are currently in Italy in their posts,
Occhiuto stated.
Broader International Context
Italy is not alone in facing American demands to end collaboration with Cuba. In March, Jamaica terminated its half-century medical cooperation agreement, impacting approximately 300 healthcare professionals. Honduras similarly expelled over 150 Cuban medical workers during the same month.
Calabria's economic challenges remain significant despite tourism growth and agricultural strength. Regional wages sit roughly 30 percent below the Italian national average, while unemployment reaches twice the country's overall rate. The health ministry ranks Calabria last among Italian regions regarding public healthcare accessibility.
Personal Stories of Commitment
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba deployed physicians to multiple Italian regions, and Calabria retained these professionals after the health crisis subsided. Zoila Yakelin Arevalo Cruz, an emergency medicine specialist who departed Cuba in 2023, reflected on the situation:
For a first-world country, Europe, we had a completely different idea. We didn't think that the shortage of doctors was so serious.
The Polistena emergency room where she practices treats 30,000 patients each year, with six Cuban doctors comprising half of the medical team.
In this hospital there were lines that lasted up to eight or 12 hours. Now, thanks to our work, in less than an hour a doctor visits you,
she noted.
Calabria has established individual employment contracts with the physicians and deposits funds directly into their Italian bank accounts rather than remitting payments to the Cuban government agency overseeing the medical missions. Cuban doctors reported to the AP that they continue sending up to half their earnings to their home country.
We are all aware of the economic situation Cuba is going through. It's a contribution that we make voluntarily because Cuba trained us, educated us and made us doctors,
Arevalo Cruz explained.
Daisy Luperon Loforte, a Cuban cardiologist, shared similar feelings:
We do not consider ourselves modern-day slaves at all, as somebody called it. We love our country, we give an economic contribution and we are happy to do so.
Regional president Occhiuto confirmed that 63 Cuban doctors, several of whom had participated in Cuba's international medical mission, recently submitted applications to join Italy's healthcare system on an independent basis.