The U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown has criticized Cuba’s overseas medical program in the Caribbean, describing it as an expensive arrangement that places financial and ethical burdens on participating countries.
In a social media post, the embassy said Caribbean governments pay high fees to the Cuban government to hire medical professionals—often more than they pay their own local doctors—rejecting the notion that the program is a humanitarian gift.
According to the embassy, payments are frequently made directly to the Cuban government, which it claims retains between 80 and 95 percent of doctors’ salaries. The arrangement was described as a “modern-day forced labor scheme” funded by local taxpayers.
The embassy said the program comes at a high cost not only financially, but also in terms of human dignity and morality, arguing that doctors receive only a fraction of what host countries pay for their services.
The United States said it stands with those affected and will continue efforts to end what it described as exploitative labor practices by the Cuban government.
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In retrospect, the modus operandi used to pay the Cuban Health Care workers was probably not the wisest and most sensible thing. That a small fraction of their salaries was paid to them and the rest paid directly to the Cuban Government was in fact given the appearance of being exploitative, manipulative, oppressive and predatory. That our Caribbean governments participated in such a scheme for so long is really something else.
@Audley Phillip….. Man you’re easily swayed and speak from both sides of your mouth. You’re the kind of person old people would refer to when they say, “You hab six tongue and ten rasshole.”
Anything that’s not good for all involved, cannot be considered good!
I didn’t say beneficial, I said “good”.
Unfortunately, not everyone know what or how to carry out good, and hence we have this world we live in, which will be call into account one day.
This nurse brigade program has being always an exploitative endeavor for the nurses.
How much does it cost Cubans to become a Dr? Its free. What is wrong with the nation then requiring for a reasonable period of time, you pay back its investment in you? In the US students are burdened by student loans for at least 20 years. These loans cannot be written off in bankruptcy. Many will tell you that wages are not keeping up with the debt cost. There is a shortage of physicians in the US. Anyway in A&B the Cuban medical team are now being paid directly. Its up to them if they wish to send the money to their government
Healthcare in Cuba is free and self-financed through services provided abroad. How many countries in the world have completely free healthcare? Today, that healthcare is being affected by measures taken by the very people who speak from an embassy. They are the same ones who refused to sell us oxygen during COVID-19 when the plant in Cuba broke down, the same ones who prevented donated ventilators from reaching intensive care units. Why don’t they talk about that? Why don’t they talk about how many Cuban children need medications that are only produced in the United States and that we can’t buy because of the embargo? Why do we have to buy what little we can from third countries or from places as far away as India or China? Why don’t they talk about how many countries we haven’t charged a single dollar to for over 60 years? Why don’t they talk about Cubans during Ebola, the earthquakes in Pakistan, the hurricanes in Latin America and the Caribbean? #CubaCooperates
So in essence, the Caribbean governments that participate in this scheme; is in fact, subsidizing the Cuban government; by lending themselves to the exploitation of the Cuban human resources, by the Cuban Government by them farming out their professional expertise for foreign revenue enhancements, to maintain the de-facto Communist regime; that is obtained there. This is the direct effect of the embargo, and sanctions in place by the Americans; since the 1960s, for their venture into Communism; and the cuddling of the Soviet Union (Russian) expansion into the American back water: and, is the price they choose to pay for their foraging afar, after Fedel Castro up-ended the Americans playground, with his revolutionary experimentation into Communist Socialism; which was more idealism, rather than proformative pragmatism, in it’s scopes, for such ideological imperative to have gained traction in the geopolitical sphere of American Imperial Capitalistic Hegemony. This was the cause-effect manifestation of the fever of the revolutionary mantra; that was in vogue with pervasive altruism for that time, of Russian geopolitical influence; that was not sustainable, even for the Soviet Union’s Empire aspirational profiling for dominance; even in their sphere of reference and, influence: and a foolhardy stance on the part of Fidel Castro; not to seek retrenchment into the comfort zone of the Americans; in recognition of their geographical proximity, and their lack of industrial fortitude. Surely, the tendencies of sovereignty seek to relish independence; even at the cost of abolishing interdependence. But, that too, must be tempted with the reality of the survival, and sanctity of the population: so to be governed, and not for the brow-beating of the pivoting leader; posturing for fame and charismatic legacy, that keep the population mired in pervasive poverty and neglect; so as to cushion the lofty ideals for ideological necessity; at the expense of personal satiation when, the sacrificial embodiment embarked on by one, might not be for the comfort of the many: such as, to pay the state to keep the people’s aspirations down, without freedom to aspire and freedom to achieve. There is no convincing way to express this dismay; even if by detachment form the status quo: but for a revolution to upend the revolution; for the betterment of the people’s elevated contentment; from poverty and, misery of the dejected masses in discontent. Who wants to pay tyrants for tyranny: with no rights from their might, as so to be? You’ve got to be free to experience freedom unchained, with glee as a reality.
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