AREQUIPA, Peru – The Cuban regime has sent another group of doctors and health professionals to Dominica in what is becoming its much-criticized strategy of exporting services. This, while the health situation in Cuba is going through one of its worst moments.
Dominica’s Minister of Health, Cassanni Laville, received on Tuesday the group of Cuban doctors and health technicians who will join the health brigade in providing services in that country.
The Government Information System of Dominica, cited by Latin Pressreported that the delegation includes specialists in intensive care, general medicine, neonatology, obstetrics, radiography, laboratory, electromedicine and nursing. The report does not specify the number of professionals.
At the reception, Cuban ambassador Miguel Fraga recalled how, in the case of Dominica, medical collaboration began in the 1990s and since then, around 130 young people have graduated from universities on the island.
The calls “Cuban medical missions” They have been widely criticized by the international community and described by multilateral organizations as a “form of modern slavery.”
At the end of last year, the United Nations (UN) put the Cuban regime in the spotlight for their violations of the human rights and labour issues, especially with regard to its medical professionals deployed on “international missions”. The accusation also implicates host countries such as Italy, Qatar and Spain.
For his part, Tomoya Obokata, UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, in November 2023 led a letter to the Cuban representation before the Human Rights Council, in which it warns about the persistence of patterns that resemble “forced labor,” as defined by the indicators of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The Cuban “missions”which include professionals from various areas such as doctorsteachers, engineers, and artists, among others, are described as situations of labor exploitation in the destination countries. The report points to inadequate salaries, confiscation of passports, restrictions on movement and surveillance by Cuban government agents, as well as cases of sexual harassment or violence, threats and physical violence.
The text also mentions ongoing accusations based on testimonies from Cuban exporters and analyses of agreements and contracts, highlighting “numerous violations of basic human rights.” The special rapporteur emphasizes the importance and value of cooperation medical Cuban at the international level, but highlights concerns about violations of fundamental rights such as privacy, freedom of expressionassociation and circulation.
In response to these allegations, the Permanent Mission of Cuba before the Human Rights Council has denied applying pressure or reprisals to those who choose not to participate in these missions. However, Obokata maintains that many professionals are forced to participate due to coercion by the Cuban regime and factors such as poverty and limited availability of employment on the Island.
