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Cuba lost 30,767 doctors in just three years, decreasing from 106,131 registered physicians in 2021 to 75,364 in 2024, according to figures published by the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI).
The collapse, acknowledged by the state institution in its statistical reports, confirms a rapid contraction of medical staff amid the deterioration of the healthcare system, characterized by a lack of resources, a shortage of medications, and the exodus of professionals.
The data appears in the section released by the ONEI on the occasion of the Latin American Medicine Day, which also specifies that in 2024 the island had 5,399 fewer doctors than in 2023 (when 80,763 were reported) and 10,199 fewer than in 2014 (with 85,563), reflecting a sustained downward trend since the peak in 2021, a year that the ONEI itself identifies as having the largest number of doctors in the country.
The decline is also clearly evident in the jump from 2022 to 2023: the ONEI reported that the number of doctors fell from 94,066 in 2022 to 80,763 in 2023, a reduction of 13,303 in just one year, a blow that directly impacts the healthcare capacity.
In that same period, the ratio of inhabitants per doctor worsened, increasing from 113 in 2022 to 127 in 2023, according to the cited statistical yearbook.
The decline is not limited to doctors. Official statistics indicate that the total staff in the health sector —which includes dentists, nurses, technicians, and other licensed professionals— also experienced a significant decrease in 2023, recording 248,512 workers, 32,586 fewer than in 2022, when the staff totaled 281,098.
Among the most affected segments, the ONEI reported a deficit of 6,285 nursing professionals, a reduction of 3,125 in dentistry, and 6,191 dropouts among technologists and other health graduates compared to the previous year.
This deterioration of the healthcare workforce coincides with the hospital crisis following the pandemic and the exodus of professionals from the sector, whether due to emigration or leaving medicine for other trades as a means of survival, in a context where, according to the findings in the report, many workers are “exhausted, underpaid, and hopeless.”
The reduction of staff was accompanied by a decrease in material capacities.
In 2023, the actual number of available beds was 38,483, which represented a decrease of 3,369 compared to the previous year, according to the data cited from the ONEI yearbook.
Meanwhile, the report indicates that precarious conditions have driven part of the population to seek alternatives outside the formal system: a survey by Cubadata conducted in 2023 indicated that 57.6% of respondents faced significant obstacles to accessing medical care.
The document also highlights an additional factor that puts pressure on internal availability: the export of doctors.
According to the same report, in 2023, the departure of about 37,000 doctors abroad was reported, a practice that the text describes as a significant source of income for the State, but which coincides with the deterioration of healthcare and the increase in unmet demand within the island.
Overall, the official figures from ONEI depict a scenario in which the country, long promoted as a "medical powerhouse," is facing a sustained loss of professionals and capabilities, directly impacting the availability of services and basic care, especially as the population reports increased difficulties in accessing healthcare when they fall ill.
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