US sanctions Brazil health officials over Cuba’s overseas medical missions

Washington claims the wellness officials were involved successful Cuba’s ‘coercive labour export’ of aesculapian workers.

The United States has announced it is revoking the visas of Brazilian, African and Caribbean officials implicit their ties to Cuba’s programme that sends doctors abroad, which Washington has described arsenic “forced labour”.

The US named 2 Brazilian Ministry of Health officials, Mozart Julio Tabosa Sales and Alberto Kleiman, who person had their visas revoked for moving connected Brazil’s Mais Medicos, oregon “More Doctors” programme, which was created successful 2013.

In a connection connected Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said sanctions were imposed connected officials “involved successful abetting the Cuban regime’s coercive labour export scheme”, which helium claimed “enriches the corrupt Cuban authorities and deprives the Cuban radical of indispensable aesculapian care”.

“The Department of State took steps to revoke visas and enforce visa restrictions connected respective Brazilian authorities officials, erstwhile Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) officials, and their household members for their complicity with the Cuban regime’s labour export strategy successful the Mais Medicos programme,” Rubio said.

In an earlier statement, Rubio besides announced visa restrictions for African officials, without specifying the countries involved, arsenic good arsenic the Caribbean state Grenada, for the aforesaid reasons.

The Cuban authorities has called Washington’s efforts to halt its aesculapian missions a cynical excuse to spell aft its overseas currency earnings.

An representation of precocious revolutionary leader Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara is displayed during a farewell ceremonial of Cuban doctors heading to Turkiye to assistance successful earthquake relief, successful Havana, Cuba, successful February 2023 [Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters]

Cuba’s lawman manager of US affairs, Johana Tablada, said its “medical practice volition continue”.

“[Rubio’s] priorities talk volumes: financing Israel genocide connected Palestine, torturing Cuba, going aft wellness attraction services for those who request them most,” Tablada wrote connected X.

Cuba’s planetary missions are sold to 3rd countries and service arsenic a main root of overseas currency for the economically isolated nation, which has been taxable to decades-long crippling sanctions by the US.

Havana’s planetary aesculapian outreach goes backmost to the years pursuing the 1959 Cuban Revolution, arsenic Fidel Castro’s communist authorities provided a free oregon low-cost aesculapian programme to processing nations arsenic an enactment of planetary solidarity.

It is estimated that Havana has sent betwixt 135,000 and 400,000 Cuban doctors overseas successful full implicit the past 5 decades.

Brazilian Minister of Health Alexandre Padilha said his authorities would not bow to what helium called “unreasonable attacks” connected Mais Medicos.

Cuba’s declaration successful the programme was terminated successful 2018 aft then-President-elect Jair Bolsonaro questioned the presumption of the statement and Cuban doctors’ qualifications.

Washington is already engaged successful a heated diplomatic enactment with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s authorities aft imposing sanctions connected Brazilian officials progressive successful Bolsonaro’s ongoing trial implicit his alleged coup crippled successful 2022.

Cuba’s healthcare strategy is nationalist and meant to beryllium universally accessible. But decades of sanctions and a downturn successful tourism owed to Trump’s question ban mean the one-party authorities is nary longer medically self-sufficient.

Since returning to the White House, the Trump medication has resumed its “maximum pressure” run against Cuba that typified his archetypal term.

Last year, the land federation of 9.7 cardinal radical could not spend the $300m needed to import earthy materials to nutrient hundreds of captious medicines.

In July, Trump imposed sanctions against Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces Alvaro Lopez Miera, and Minister of the Interior Lazaro Alberto Alvarez Casas for their “role successful the Cuban regime’s brutality toward the Cuban people”.

Earlier, the Trump medication besides signalled its volition to tighten visa restrictions connected Cuban and overseas officials linked to Havana’s aesculapian missions astir the globe.

Rubio described the aesculapian programme arsenic 1 wherever “medical professionals are ‘rented’ by different countries astatine precocious prices”, but “most of the gross is kept by the Cuban authorities”.

In 1999, aft Hugo Chavez’s Bolivarian gyration successful Venezuela, Cuba sent aesculapian unit and educators to the country. In return, Cuba bought Venezuelan lipid astatine below-market prices, processing the thought of Havana exporting aesculapian professionals arsenic a root of revenue.

Some 30,000 Cuban aesculapian workers were sent to Venezuela successful the archetypal 10 years of the “Oil for Doctors” programme.

Cuba aboriginal received hard currency to acceptable up imperishable aesculapian missions successful countries including South Africa, Brazil, Ecuador and Qatar.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies