The Cuban regime published this Tuesday in the Official Gazette the , which establishes the new salary system for all workers of the National Health System, effective from July 1, 2026, with actual payment starting in August.
The regulation, published as a corrected copy of the regular edition from July 17 —which contained inaccurate data as acknowledged by Gaceta itself— establishes the base salaries for doctors, dentists, nurses, and health technicians based on complexity groups within a general scale of 32 levels.
A second-degree specialist physician is placed in Group XXII, earning 8,880 Cuban pesos (CUP) monthly for a 44-hour work week. A non-specialized or newly graduated physician is situated in Group XVII, with a monthly salary of 7,045 CUP. Specialist nurses also reach Group XVII (7,045 CUP), while basic nurses start from Group IX with 4,755 CUP.
In addition to the base salary, the resolution maintains additional payments for working night shifts, between 7 PM and 7 AM: 50 CUP per hour for doctors and dentists, 40 CUP for nursing staff, and 30 CUP for technologists, other graduates, and health technicians.
For four high-complexity specialties — Anesthesiology and Resuscitation, Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care, and Adult Intensive Care — the nighttime rate amounts to 100 CUP per hour, plus an additional 20 CUP per hour for high performance. The regulation also acknowledges 50 CUP per hour worked on weekends during daytime hours for doctors and dentists.
An additional payment for years of service is also maintained for doctors, dentists, nurses, psychologists, technologists, and health technicians, although the resolution does not specify the exact amounts in the published text.
The measure is part of the package of 176 economic and social transformations approved by the National Assembly on June 18 and 19, 2026. The Cuban government presents it as a budgetary effort of 42.5 billion CUP that benefits over one million workers in the budgeted sector, with Health and Education representing approximately 70% of those benefited.
However, the actual impact of the new salaries is called into question due to the economic crisis that the island is experiencing. At the informal exchange rate in effect in July 2026, the 8,880 CUP earned by a second-grade specialist doctor amounts to only between 13 and 16 dollars per month. Before the increase, Cuban doctors received between 5,060 and 8,000 CUP, roughly 10 to 16 dollars.
The gap with the actual cost of living is staggering: the basic basket for two people in Havana exceeds 41,000 CUP per month, and independent economists estimate that meeting real basic needs requires up to 96,000 CUP per month, according to a analysis published this Tuesday.
This disparity has fueled the exodus of Cuban doctors and nurses for years, both abroad and towards the emerging private sector on the island. Resolution 17/2026 repeals all previous regulations governing the salary system of the health sector, including Resolution 37 from November 2020 and its subsequent amendments up to 2025.
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