Faced with increasing pressure from Washington to limit Havana's medical missions abroad, the government of Calabria (Italy) declared that Cuban doctors are still an essential force to help the local hospital system maintain operations.
On February 23, the Governor of Calabria - Mr. Roberto Occhiuto - said that he had a frank exchange with Mr. Mike Hammer, US Chargé d'Affaires in Cuba, about the role of the team of doctors from the Caribbean island nation.
“We discussed the urgent needs of the Calabrian health system as well as the complex issues surrounding the Cuban medical mission. Cuban doctors, who are helping us keep hospitals and emergency rooms open, are still necessary for this region,” Mr. Occhiuto emphasized after the meeting.
In January, Washington declared Cuba an "abnormal and special threat" to US national security - accusations that Havana denied - while strengthening economic tightening measures.
Mr. Hammer came to Italy as part of US efforts to limit medical service export programs that bring important foreign currency revenue to Cuba, including an agreement with Calabria.
In 2023, Calabria signed a contract to receive nearly 500 Cuban doctors to compensate for the serious shortage of human resources. This region is one of the poorest regions in Italy, struggling for many years due to a shortage of doctors, especially in specialties such as emergency care.
Italy has a tradition of self-training medical staff, but low wages, exhaustion after the COVID-19 pandemic and fierce competition in recruiting experts have caused human resources, especially in the south, to decline. Calabria - a remote and economically difficult region - is most severely affected.
Mr. Occhiuto said that he initially planned to increase the number of Cuban doctors in Calabria to 1,000 by 2026. However, under international pressure, the regional government is "considering an alternative roadmap", while expanding the recruitment of doctors from the European Union (EU), outside the EU, as well as Cuban doctors who do not belong to the current mission but want to work independently in Calabria.
Our region is ready to welcome all doctors, from within the EU, outside the EU and even Cuban doctors not attached to existing missions," he said.
Previously, in an exchange with the press in 2023, the Governor of Calabria admitted that the region could hardly offer a competitive wage to attract high-quality human resources, causing him to turn to Cuba - a country that implements the "export of doctors" model to earn important foreign currency for the economy.
The US State Department accused Cuban medical missions of "human trafficking", arguments refuted by Havana. Mr. Occhiuto also denied this accusation, affirming that the agreement with Cuba was based on practical needs and compliance with the law.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is increasing pressure on Cuba with strong economic measures, including a comprehensive fuel freeze. These measures have caused Cuba to fall into prolonged power outages, exacerbating socio-economic difficulties in the Caribbean island nation.
