MIAMI, United States. — The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), assured this Tuesday that he will continue to hire Cuban doctors as part of his plan to universalize the health system.
In his usual press conference from the National Palace, the Mexican ruler pointed out that the arrival of more health professionals from the Island will allow “an efficient service for the entire population 24 hours a day and all week.”
The president specified in La Mañanera that there are more than 700 Cuban doctors who work in different states of the country.
“We thank the Cuban government because there are already 700 specialists who are working in hospitals in Mexico and we continue to call all the doctors who want to work in the health sector, there is employment, there is work, everyone. General practitioners and specialists, because what we want is to leave this quality and free public health system running before the end of our government for those who do not have social security, who are the people most in need,” said the president.
At the beginning of May, authorities in the state of Tamaulipas, on the southern border of Mexico, made public their intention to recruit Cuban doctors to cover the deficit of doctors in rural areas.
The hiring of doctors from the Island has generated controversy and dissatisfaction among health professionals in Mexico. Although AMLO has assured that there is work for everyone, many claim to be disadvantaged by the massive arrival of doctors from the Caribbean country.
The presence of the medical brigades from Havana has not been exempt from irregularities either. Last April it emerged that at least 20 Cuban doctors hired by the Government of Mexico to the island’s regime lacked a certificate that accredited them as specialists.
A control carried out by the health centers of Axochiapan, Ocuituco, Tetecala and Temixco verified that the specialty of the Cuban doctors “did not correspond to what was required in these hospitals.”
