Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) has expedited the hiring of a large number of Cuban slave doctors before his departure from office on September 30, 2024.
Although AMLO will be succeeded by his ally, president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, who has already announced to carry forward his legislative agenda, he is fast-tracking the recruitment of 5,223 Cuban doctors who will come to practice medicine in Mexico.
After winning the presidential elections, Sheinbaum revealed that Cuba is a “sister nation” of Mexico and that her administration will continue accepting more doctors from Cuba in her term.
Cuba is known for exporting doctors all over the world, but their medical professionals have historically worked under poor conditions in foreign countries, which has prompted critics to call them “Cuban slave doctors.”
An anonymous Mexican government source revealed that the AMLO administration is bringing the 5,223 Cuban doctors to Mexico “as soon as possible” under the agreements between the far-left government of Mexico and communist Cuba.
These doctors reach Mexico City in batches of 200, with 800 slave doctors reaching the country in August.
The source also said that the government plans to bring all these doctors before the end of the AMLO term, adding that the incoming doctors will still have to wait before starting work in Mexico, as the process of checking their documents and integrating them into hospitals can take time.
Cuba’s Castro dynasty, which ruled the country for more than 60 years, has painted itself as the leader of the global healthcare sector, even though the country’s own health infrastructure remains fragile.
The Castro family started the country’s so-called medical diplomacy after taking power in the aftermath of the Cuban revolution in 1959. Since then, Cuba has exported doctors to many parts of the world, particularly Latin America, Africa, and Oceania. These doctors are forced to work in abusive environments, as going against the decisions of the communist government could result in severe consequences.
Critics have accused the Cuban communist regime of selling its doctors to foreign countries under lucrative deals. Reportedly, the Cuban government earns more than $11 billion a year by selling its slave doctors, pocketing much of the money they receive from bilateral agreements while paying peanuts to healthcare professionals.
Mexico allegedly paid $10,700 per doctor every three months to Cuba during the coronavirus pandemic when the need for medical professionals skyrocketed. However, the Cuban government only paid $600 to every doctor while grabbing the rest of the money.
Any doctor who is caught defecting is slapped with an eight-year entry ban in Cuba, forcing them to live as refugees in another country. Even after completing the exile, these doctors risk their lives by returning to Cuba.
