Cuban doctors residing in Spain will have new opportunities for training, research, and professional guidance thanks to an agreement signed in Madrid between the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG) and the Association of Cuban Doctors in Spain (AMCUBE).
The agreement aims to facilitate the integration of professionals trained in Cuba into the Spanish healthcare system, where many still face difficulties in validating their degrees and obtaining the necessary documents to practice.
According to a statement issued by SEMG, the agreement was signed by its president, Pilar Rodríguez Ledo, and the president of AMCUBE, Guillermo Ponce Morales, a Cuban doctor with a 27-year professional career in Spain.
The collaboration includes continuous training programs, joint research projects, participation in conferences, and the sharing of scientific knowledge. It also encompasses initiatives related to the application of artificial intelligence in Primary Care.
"We want to create opportunities to share knowledge and experience, strengthen training, and promote scientific collaboration that contributes to improving care for the population," stated Rodríguez Ledo.
The agreement, however, does not eliminate the legal requirements for practicing in Spain, such as the validation of degrees, recognition of specialties, and registration with the professional association, processes that still depend on the relevant authorities.
The initiative comes after years of demands from the community. In September 2024, more than 150 Cuban doctors protested in front of the Congress of Deputies to denounce delays of up to seven years in the validation of their degrees, a situation that forced many professionals to work in fields unrelated to their training.
Another obstacle has been the difficulty in obtaining the certificate of non-disqualification required for registration. Due to the lack of issuance of this document by the Cuban authorities, the Medical Association of Madrid approved a temporary registration in October 2024 based on a responsible declaration, contingent upon presenting the certificate within a period of nine months.
The importance of these initiatives is reflected in the growing number of Cuban professionals seeking to work in Spain. Only during the first semester of 2025, a total of 5,551 Cuban citizens obtained the recognition of their university degrees in Spain, according to data published in December of that year.
As the first activities of the new agreement, the organizations will hold a virtual course on artificial intelligence and health on November 21, taught by Dr. César Dilu Sorzano, at 6:00 PM Spain mainland time.
A week later, on November 28, Madrid will host the First Congress of Cuban Doctors in Spain, alongside the Ibero-American Doctors Symposium, at the headquarters of Grupo CTO.
The agreement will also allow the best scientific work presented at each edition of the congress to be eligible for publication in the journal Medicina General y de Familia, provided it passes the corresponding academic review.
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