More than 300 residents from two rural communities in Quintana Roo signed a petition addressed to health authorities, demanding that the Cuban doctor Yoanis Viñas Vázquez continue providing care in the area on weekends.
According to the communicator Rogelio Baruch, residents of Blanca Flor and Buena Fe, in the municipality of Bacalar, assert that the presence of the Cuban doctor is essential because the local physician in the communities provides services only from Monday to Friday, leaving them without local coverage on Saturdays and Sundays.
"We request that this important service not be withdrawn. We also fall ill on weekends and need medical attention," the neighbors stated in the letter, dated August 28 and addressed to the Secretary of Health and the State Health Services of Quintana Roo.
The signatories specifically request "the assignment and continuous presence" of Viñas Vázquez to ensure support for the families in both localities.
Among their arguments, they highlight the need to monitor patients with chronic illnesses, pregnant women, and children, ensure immediate care in emergencies, and avoid the costs associated with traveling to urban centers for medical assistance.
They also highlight the role of the physician in preventive efforts, such as vaccination campaigns and the detection of potential disease outbreaks.
"We respectfully request the assignment and continuous presence of the healthcare professional Dr. Yoanis Viñas Vázquez at the health center in our community, in order to guarantee the basic and fundamental right to medical care for all the families residing here," the petition states.
Blanca Flor has approximately 633 inhabitants and Buena Fe around 214, according to data from INEGI. Both are recognized Maya Indigenous communities in the National Catalog of Indigenous Peoples and Communities.
The request highlights the significance that Cuban doctors have acquired in some rural Mexican communities facing challenges in filling healthcare positions. In February, IMSS-Bienestar reported 173 Cuban doctors working in rural areas of Quintana Roo, while another 30 were in the process of being integrated.
The program, however, remains surrounded by controversy due to the conditions under which the professionals sent by Havana work.
In April, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) raised concerns about labor rights violations in Cuba's medical missions. Its president, Edgar Stuardo Ralón, stated that there are indications of "forced labor and human trafficking" within that model.
Likewise, a report by Prisoners Defenders published in August reported that the Cuban regime retains between 75% and 90% of the funds that recipient countries allocate for compensating doctors sent abroad.
For the residents of Blanca Flor and Buena Fe, however, the immediate concern is different: not being without a doctor nearby when the weekend arrives.
"We appeal to your sensitivity and commitment to the health of rural areas so that our request may be heard and addressed as soon as possible," they concluded.
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