Calabria, Italy refuses to fire Cuban doctors
[from Facebook, 3/7/26]
#US Chargé d’Affaires to #Cuba Mike Hammer was last week in #Italy, where he met with Roberto Occhiuto, the governor of the #Calabria region. He pushed Occhiuto to end Calabria’s employment of around 500 Cuban #doctors. Occhiuto refused.
After the meeting he issued a statement saying: “Cuban doctors who are allowing us to keep #hospitals and emergency rooms open are still a necessity for our region.”
In an apparent concession, Occhiuto added that he had intended to increase that number to as many as 1,000 in 2026, but is now considering advertising for applicants from elsewhere.
Cuban doctors and nurses are paid many times more abroad than what they earn in Cuba. BotB has verified that Cuban doctors in Italy are paid 3,000€ a month. They must send 1,800€ of that to the Cuban state (much of which supports the public #healthcare system), and keep 1,200€.
After a quick search, this is a really disgusting situation. The doctors are basically cuban slaves being sold to Italy. Effectively Italy is engaged in human trafficking. They may pay the doctors a decent wage, but all the doctors have to sign a contract before leaving Cuba to give the cuban government most of their wages. So much for Europe’s moral superiority. We may have elected a nazi as president, but you brought back slavery.
Human trafficking, by the UN definition, involves coercion, force, or deception for exploitation. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-Trafficking/Human-Trafficking.html
These are government-to-government agreements. https://www.salute.gov.it/new/it/tema/politiche-sanitarie-internazionali/accordo-bilaterale-italia-cuba/
Italy is desperate for doctors because its own system is in shambles: hospitals in Calabria and Sardinia would literally have to close without them. https://www.unionesarda.it/en/sardinia/shortage-of-doctors-in-sardinia-quot-call-the-cubans-120-would-arrivequot-b3sinkme
The Cuban doctors come willingly (they know the deal with Havana before they pack), they’re legally employed by Italian health authorities, and they’re integrated into the public system. https://embargoed.www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)02752-6/fulltext
