West of Doha in the middle of the desert you’ll find a small hospital. In front are two flags—one of Qatar and one of Cuba. And inside, the entire 475-person medical staff are from the Caribbean island.
The Cuban hospital as it known boasts some of the world’s best medical facilities, but doctors are earning just 10% of what other foreign medical professionals make in Qatar: a mere $1,000 (£778) a month. The other 90% of their wages goes to the Cuban government under a secret agreement with the Qataris.
This practice isn’t abnormal for Cuba, and it’s one that has been in place for decades. Leasing doctors to other countries is a means for the Cuban government to bring in hard currency for Cuba’s cash-strapped economy, earning the government $6-8bn a year.
While doctors are said to sign up voluntarily for this work abroad, critics believe it is exploitative.
“I have no doubt that they are subject to a form of compelled labour. Cuba is a totalitarian state with a guaranteed pool of captive low-paid workers easily exploited as exportable commodities,” says María Werlau, the director of Cuba Archive.
The Guardian reports:
Werlau says Cuba’s medics are victims of wage theft, passport confiscation, heavy surveillance and forced family separation.
However, others argue the medical missions are highly-coveted opportunities in a country where doctors earn just $40 to $70 a month.
“I don’t believe that they are being exploited,” says John Kirk, professor of Spanish and Latin American studies at Dalhousie University in Canada. “They are earning significantly more than they would earn at home. They have been trained in a socialist system, have paid nothing for their medical training, and understand that the superior amount paid to the Cuban government is used to subsidise the healthcare system back in Cuba.”
The Guardian spoke to several medics at the Cuban hospital and some defended the system.
“I believe we should help everybody,” says one. “Based on that, yes it is fair, because I know that the other amount is used to support our health and education system … but if you think only of yourself, of course it’s not fair.”
However, other doctors who defected from the Cuban medical missions disagree. Upon discovering how 90% of his wages were being taken away, one doctor said he “felt like a slave…we were doing the same thing and earning far less than [other doctors].”
There is also a policy that anyone who abandons a medical mission is barred from entering Cuba for eight years, unless they are willing to rejoin the national medical system.
“They are using what they love the most to make them think twice before leaving. It’s cruel, it’s inhumane, it’s unconstitutional and against international law,” says Annarella O’Mahony, a member of No Somos Desertores (“We are not deserters”), a group that campaigns for the right of Cubans who have abandoned state contracts to return home.
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A la misión Médica en Qatar no solo le roban el salario sino que en sus vacaciones viajan más de 24 horas hacia Cuba, realizando hasta 4 cambios de Aviones,los colaboradores se pueden encontrar en el aeropuerto tirados como perros, unos profesionales de la salud enviados en clase económica, expuestos por su gobierno que solo le interesa explotarlos y sacar el máxima de dinero a cualquiera costo.Sin derecho ni a opinar.Cero libertad de expresión.Los derechos son pisoteados.
A la misión Médica en Qatar no solo le roban el salario sino que en sus vacaciones viajan más de 24 horas hacia Cuba, realizando hasta 4 cambios de Aviones,los colaboradores se pueden encontrar en el aeropuerto tirados como perros, unos profesionales de la salud enviados en clase económica, expuestos por su gobierno que solo le interesa explotarlos y sacar el máxima de dinero a cualquiera costo.Sin derecho ni a opinar.Cero libertad de expresión.
No sólo se roban el dinero de los trabajadores,en estos momentos son 2 hospitales.En vacaciones les imponen irse en clase económica en los peores vuelos con más de 3 cambios de Aviones hasta Cuba,por la aerolínea más barato y con malas condiciones,con más de 24 hrs.Tras la visita del Presidente Días Canel se dejó de Pagar un mes, explicando a los colaboradores que era mes trabajo,mes pagado.Hamad Medical Corporation paga de 2 o 3 meses a las personas que contrata.Quien se favorece con todo esto
No sólo se roban todo el dinero de los trabajadores del hospital médico, ahora son 2 hospitales, anteriormente solo era uno.Le imponen irse en clase económica en los peores vuelos con hasta 4 cambios de Aviones hasta Cuba,por la aerolínea más barato y con las peores condiciones ,existiendo ganancias para el grupo de cubanos favorecidos “los jefes” de la misión.
En medio de un proceso han sacado de misión a Qatar el acecino de mi madre, Dr. Alberto Aristides Artiles García. Bien sucio y corrupto es el sistema en Cuba. Según el MININ no sabe cómo pudo salir del pais y código penal: no saben cómo pudo salir del país tampoco ya que el proceso no estaba terminado. Tanto salud, fiscalía, comisión médica que atendió el caso, son todos unos malditos corruptos. Solo deseo que regrese su cadáver al terminar la mision. Malditos corruptos que todo lo manipulan.