CALABRIA, ITALY — Calabria Governor Roberto Occhiuto has maintained a program employing over 200 Cuban doctors in regional hospitals despite criticism from the United States. U.S. officials visited Calabria concerning the program, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio accusing the Cuban medical missions of being a "form of human trafficking." The State Department stated that "Cuban medical brigades are a key source of hard cash for the failing regime."

Cuban doctors began working in hospitals across Italy's Calabria region in January 2023. These doctors staff remote hospitals, with six Cuban doctors making up half the staff of the Polistena emergency room.

Occhiuto, a member of a political party with anti-Communist roots, acknowledged pressures from the U.S. regarding the program. "I had some pressures also during the Biden administration. But pressure grew under Trump," Occhiuto said. He met with U.S. Charge d'affaires to Cuba Mike Hammer, who flew to Calabria in February alongside the U.S. consul-general in Naples.

Occhiuto stated his intention to keep the Cuban doctors in their posts, saying, "But at the same time, I have also reiterated to the U.S. 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." Calabria signed individual contracts with the Cuban doctors and deposits payments in their Italian bank accounts. Cuban doctors have stated they send as much as half their salaries to the Cuban government. One emergency medicine specialist, Zoila Yakelin Arevalo Cruz, stated, "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 also commented on the medical staffing situation in Calabria upon her arrival, stating, "For a first-world country, Europe, we had a completely different idea. We didn't think that the shortage of doctors was so serious." Sixty-three Cuban doctors recently applied to work independently within Calabria's healthcare system. Calabria's deal to bring in Cuban doctors received praise in Granma, the newspaper of Cuba's Communist Party.

Why It Matters

The decision by Calabria's governor to continue employing Cuban doctors has led to international political attention, including engagement from U.S. officials. The region of Calabria, which ranks last among Italy's 20 regions in public healthcare access according to the health ministry, faces healthcare staffing challenges. Calabria's unemployment rate is double the national average, and its wages are approximately 30% lower than the national average. The region also spent 17 years under special administration until April due to persistent budget deficits.

The program provides a medical workforce to a region with documented healthcare access issues, while simultaneously drawing concerns from the United States regarding its structure and benefit to the Cuban government.