Cabo Verde will hire 70 Cuban doctors from the Havana regime

The government of Cabo Verde announced that it will hire 70 Cuban doctors, including specialists and general practitioners, to strengthen healthcare services in the country's central and regional hospitals.

The local media Anação reported that the nation's Minister of Health, Jorge Figueiredo, confirmed during a parliamentary session that he will visit the Caribbean island this month to finalize the agreement with the authorities of the regime.

The goal, he explained, is to ensure the full operation of the hospital units according to the epidemiological needs of each region. The arrival of medical personnel is scheduled for this year.

"We have already identified around 70 doctors to ensure the smooth operation of hospitals. That’s why I will travel to Cuba this month to negotiate their hiring," the minister stated.

This agreement adds to the 272 healthcare professionals already incorporated in 2024, including 42 doctors and 47 nurses. In other words, fewer doctors for the Cuban system, which is already facing a severe crisis.

U.S. warns: they could be complicit in human trafficking

Despite the health objectives set forth, Cabo Verde's initiative could place it at the center of a new diplomatic conflict. The Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs of the U.S. Department of State recently warned on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that governments hiring Cuban doctors risk becoming complicit in human trafficking networks.

"If your country hires Cuban medical professionals, you may be complicit in human trafficking. Demand transparency. It must be ensured that these workers are free, paid fairly, and have legal protection. Let’s put an end to human trafficking," published the official office.

The United States has maintained for years that the Havana regime exploits healthcare professionals sent abroad, confiscating between 75% and 90% of their salaries, restricting their freedom of movement, and subjecting them to constant surveillance, in what several international organizations have denounced as a modern model of labor slavery.

In fact, the United States will restrict visas for officials and employees of those governments and organizations that contribute to the "trafficking of Cuban doctors," among other measures recently approved as part of the State Appropriations Act, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs for Fiscal Year 2024.

Response from the Cuban regime

In response to these warnings, the Cuban ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel published on the official site Cubadebate a pamphlet addressing this issue and labeled the actions of the U.S. government as “vulgar blackmail” and “unjustified aggression,” reported the official site Cubadebate.

He stated that Washington's intention is not to protect professionals, but to punish the altruistic and humanitarian vocation of Cuban doctors and to limit access to healthcare services in countries in need.

"It is naive to think that the Government of the United States, instead of sending soldiers and weapons, could send doctors under the same supportive and preferential conditions as Cuba does," wrote Díaz-Canel.

Debate between cooperation and exploitation

The case of Cape Verde once again brings to the forefront the nature of Cuban medical missions: while the regime presents them as acts of international solidarity, numerous reports reveal conditions of labor exploitation, lack of freedom, and extreme state control over the workers.

Human rights advocacy organizations and governments such as that of the U.S. insist that medical cooperation cannot exist without transparency or guarantees of freedom and fair wages for professionals.

Frequently asked questions about hiring Cuban doctors in Cape Verde