Just a year ago, Rachely Carmenates Sánchez was celebrating one of the happiest moments of her life: she had completed six years of medical school and achieved the highest score on her state exam. Today, the young Cuban doctor confesses that she is not practicing the profession she dreamed of so much because her salary does not even cover her most basic needs.
In an emotional video posted on Instagram, Carmenates nostalgically recalled the day she completed her university studies and heard her examiner's words: "Congratulations, you did a wonderful exam, you scored a hundred points."
"For me, it was one of the greatest achievements of my entire life. I still think about that day and it gives me goosebumps, because it not only marked the end of six years of study, but it also meant that I had achieved the biggest dream I have ever had in my life," he expressed.
"Being a doctor in Cuba has become a frustrated dream for me. Because although my mother dreamed of seeing me as an independent professional, today my salary as a doctor is not enough to buy a bottle of oil and a package of chicken together," she lamented.
In the description of the post, Carmenates also referred to her daughter: "I love my profession, but love won't put food on my daughter's plate, and now she is the most important thing."
The doctor, who worked as a pediatric intensive care resident in Havana, had previously shared other testimonies that reflect both her calling and the challenges of practicing medicine in Cuba.
In March, he reported that he had gone to a 24-hour hospital guard after being without electricity for 30 hours.
He then assured, "Medicine gives me life, and I don't care about the 30 hours of blackout if these creatures that need me are waiting for me afterwards."
A month later, she showed how she spent her salary of 10,250 Cuban pesos in a single purchase, leaving her with no money to cover other everyday expenses.
Now, the young woman acknowledges that her professional dream is on hold, although she insists she has not lost hope of returning to her career.
"Today I am a doctor, yes, no one can take that away from me. The knowledge is with me, the years of study are with me, and above all, the desire to save lives and care for others is with me and remains intact," he affirmed.
Her experience mirrors that of other Cuban professionals who have left the medical field due to low salaries. In May, Dr. Liliana Salazar Villariño shared that she had stopped practicing because her income was not enough to feed her child.
According to the 2024 Health Statistical Yearbook of the Ministry of Public Health, Cuba decreased from 106,131 registered doctors in 2021 to 75,364 in 2024, a reduction of 30,767 professionals in just three years.
Despite his current situation, Carmenates keeps alive the hope of returning to the hospitals someday.
"I dream of wearing my white coat again, I dream of practicing the profession I love again, I dream of caring for my sick children again, and I dream of one day feeling that all the struggles were worth it," she said.
And he concluded with a message directed at other Cuban professionals who have also seen their aspirations frustrated:
"I sincerely hope that you and I can return someday."
Related videos:
Filed under: