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A total of 172 Cuban healthcare professionals returned to the island after completing a medical mission in Honduras that began in 2024, state television reported this Thursday.
The collaborators arrived in the afternoon on Thursday at the José Martí International Airport in Havana, where they were welcomed by officials from the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) and other sector representatives, according to a Facebook post from the state-run Canal Caribe.
According to , Cuban doctors conducted over 30 million consultations and nearly 900,000 surgical interventions during their time in Honduras, primarily focused on caring for children and the elderly.
The Cuban government stated that the return of the brigade comes amid pressures from the United States government against the island's international medical cooperation programs.
According to the official statement, these pressures have led to the interruption of medical services that the Cuban brigade was providing to the Honduran population.
The doctors returned to the island after the government of President Nasry Asfura decided on March 2 to terminate the agreement that allowed them to work in the Central American country. The Associated Press (AP) reported that the physicians departed from Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport in San Pedro Sula, heading to Havana on March 4.
In recent months, several countries have canceled or revised their agreements with Cuba for the hiring of medical brigades, following reports of labor exploitation, lack of freedom for professionals, and the diversion of most salaries by the Cuban state.
Governments and international organizations have indicated that this system allows the regime to obtain billions of dollars annually in foreign currency, becoming one of the main sources of income for the country.
Despite this, Havana continues to advocate for its medical cooperation programs abroad and maintains health agreements with dozens of countries in Latin America, Africa, and other regions.
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