Italy’s southern region of Calabria is continuing its partnership with Cuban medical professionals despite increasing pressure from the United States to end the long-running program, arguing that the doctors remain vital to keeping its struggling healthcare system functioning.
More than 200 Cuban doctors are currently working in hospitals across Calabria, one of Italy’s least-developed regions, where chronic staff shortages have strained healthcare services for years. Regional authorities say the medical professionals have helped restore services that were at risk of shutting down because of a lack of doctors.
Francesco Moschella, chief physician at Polistena Hospital, said conditions before the Cuban team arrived in January 2023 were critical.
“It was a disaster. I was keeping the emergency room open all by myself,” he said.
Calabria has faced years of economic challenges, lower wages and higher unemployment than much of Italy. Its healthcare system has also struggled with financial deficits, corruption scandals and organized crime influence, discouraging many newly qualified Italian doctors from remaining in the region. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba sent medical teams to several parts of Italy, and Calabria chose to continue the arrangement after the health emergency ended.
Emergency physician Zoila Yakelin Arevalo Cruz, who left Cuba in 2023 to work in Polistena, said the hospital’s emergency department receives about 30,000 patients each year, with six Cuban doctors making up half of its emergency staff.
She said patients previously waited between eight and 12 hours for treatment, while most are now seen within an hour. After more than two years in Italy, she has become fluent in Italian and says she has also learned the local dialect through daily interactions with patients.
The Cuban medical program has drawn criticism from Washington. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described the overseas missions as a form of human trafficking, arguing that the Cuban government retains a significant share of doctors’ earnings. The US State Department has also accused the program of generating revenue for Cuba’s government and has encouraged partner nations to reconsider their participation.
Several countries, including Jamaica and Honduras, have recently ended or reduced their agreements with Cuba following US pressure. Other governments, including Mexico, have defended the program, saying Cuban doctors continue to provide essential healthcare in underserved communities.
Calabria Governor Roberto Occhiuto said US officials raised the issue during a visit earlier this year but acknowledged that the region cannot currently replace the Cuban workforce.
He said his administration is working to encourage Italian doctors to return to Calabria but intends to keep the Cuban physicians already serving in local hospitals. Occhiuto added that he would welcome additional Cuban doctors but has limited expansion plans amid diplomatic sensitivities.
Unlike many international agreements, Calabria pays the doctors directly through individual employment contracts and deposits their salaries into Italian bank accounts. Several Cuban physicians told reporters they voluntarily send part of their earnings back to Cuba as a contribution to the country that provided their medical education.
For many patients, the political debate remains secondary to access to healthcare. Local resident Maria Morano praised the Cuban doctors, describing them as skilled, compassionate and essential to keeping hospitals open in the region.
