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«An Italian region defies US pressure to end a Cuban doctors program». With this title, the Washington Post relaunched an Associated Press report dedicated to the presence of Cuban doctors in Calabrian hospitals, where they operate to address the shortage of healthcare personnel.
The correspondent of the American agency, who visited Calabria in recent days, recalls that 320 Cuban doctors are currently present in the region, who arrived thanks to the agreement promoted by the President of the Region Roberto Occhiuto. In the report, Calabria is described as “one of the rare European regions where Cuba sends health professionals as part of a long-standing program that the United States wants to stamp out.”
The article traces the reasons that led to the agreement, underlining how the shortage of medical personnel had forced the closure of some hospital departments. It is also remembered that Cuban doctors have been operating for years in various developing countries, such as Gambia and Venezuela, gaining experience in contexts characterized by limited resources.
Testimonies from hospitals and comparison with the United States
Among the testimonies collected by the Associated Press is that of Francesco Moschella, head doctor of the Polistena hospital, who recalled the difficulties preceding the arrival of the Cuban doctors in January 2023: «It was a disaster. I had to keep the emergency room open on my own.”
The report also reports the words of the Cuban doctor Arevalo Cruz, 38, who highlighted how the team contributed to significantly reducing waiting times in the emergency room: «We didn’t think the shortage of doctors was so serious. Previously there were queues lasting eight or twelve hours, now a doctor sees patients in less than an hour.”
The article recalls that the presence of Cuban professionals this year also led to a visit to Calabria by representatives of the US administration. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly defined Cuban medical missions as “a form of human trafficking”, claiming that the Havana government withholds a large part of the doctors’ salaries. In a note sent to the Associated Press, the US State Department reiterated that the medical brigades represent “a fundamental source of cash for the Cuban regime”.
The report also recalls the visit to Calabria by the United States chargé d’affaires in Cuba, Mike Hammer, accompanied by the American consul general in Naples. “I also faced pressure during the Biden administration, but it increased under Trump,” Roberto Occhiuto told the Associated Press. The President of the Region explained that he had illustrated to the US representatives the initiatives launched to encourage the return of Calabrian doctors, while reiterating the need to keep the regional healthcare system operational. “I told Ambassador Hammer that I needed to keep the hospitals open and that I intend to continue to do so,” he said.
«Berlusconi was also intrigued by Cuban doctors»
The president of the Calabria Region, Roberto Occhiuto, wrote this in a post published on his Instagram profile after the controversy over the recruitment of Cuban doctors in the region, 320 in total, flared up again with the Trump administration openly criticizing the choice of the Calabrian governor. Berlusconi, Occhiuto’s post continues, “called me continuously to ask how things were going and one day he also made this video” explains the governor who attached a video to his post in which Berlusconi stated that “those who live in the South, where the difficulties are greatest, must have the same rights as those who live in the North and it is precisely for this reason that our good governor of Calabria Roberto Occhiuto had to call hundreds of doctors from other countries to Italy”.