A weary doctor from Santiago de Cuba has voiced his frustration over the dire conditions in the country's healthcare system. After witnessing numerous patients perish due to a shortage of essential medicines and supplies, and observing the government's inability to provide effective solutions, he compared the collapse of the healthcare system—long touted as a government triumph—to the death of the homeland. "Our homeland has died, damn it, and there's nothing left to be done," he stated in a series of reflections shared with CiberCuba.
The doctor noted that many of his acquaintances maintain connections with individuals abroad, watching as the Cuban diaspora strives for success: securing well-paying jobs, purchasing cars or homes, and obtaining bank loans. Meanwhile, those who remain on the island grapple with a reality where "life has become a survival race, constrained by power outages, water shortages, the quest for cash, the constant worry of what to eat, and the ongoing struggle with long lines, scarcity, and inflation..."
The Daily Struggle of Ordinary Cubans
"What is left for those of us stranded on the island with no means of escape?" he asked with deep frustration. "I don't think any ordinary Cuban, which is the majority of us, is concerned about buying a car, planning a vacation next year, or repairing or building a house—things that are so natural for people living in other countries," he expressed.
This doctor, whose income as a specialist scarcely covers a few pounds of rice, yucca, plantains, and okra, acknowledged that "occasionally we indulge in the 'luxury' of a couple of pounds of ground chicken or chicken thighs." He added that the thought of enjoying "precious morning coffee, the longed-for sugar for sweets and drinks, let alone milk, cheese, or butter" has become "science fiction for most of the population."
The Harsh Reality for Cuban Doctors
He highlighted how people live without dreams, without hope, and without a future to believe in. "They have lost the desire for change, and all that remains is the longing to escape, to emigrate, so that, as many feel, they never return to Cuba again," he concluded.
The doctor from Santiago lamented that, although he cannot travel like those with family abroad, he at least wishes for the freedom of having a passport and not being treated as a criminal by the regime, despite his more than three decades of service.
The reality for Cuban doctors is a stringent regulation that is tough to overcome. Doctors face limited options: if they defect from a medical mission, they cannot return to the country for several years, which means leaving family behind. This situation is particularly challenging for those with elderly relatives or young children.
Restricted Freedom and Bureaucratic Hurdles
Many opt for temporary exit permits, risking that if they return, they will be under regulation again. The "safest" option is to apply for permanent exit permission; however, they must "justify" their reason for leaving, and the regime often delays responding to these requests, sometimes taking years. This process may involve pleading with senior officials of the Ministry of Health to approve their release.
This predicament traces back to 2023, when the Cuban government decided to further restrict foreign travel for medical specialists, dentists, health technicians, and nursing graduates due to the massive exodus in 2022. The policy was announced by Marcos del Risco del Río, the Director of Human Capital at the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), in a videoconference where he requested "discretion."
Later, the MINSAP clarified that "there is no migration regulation for specialists in Comprehensive General Medicine or newly graduated doctors," aligning with their goal of leasing as many specialists as possible to foreign countries. Dentists and nurses also escape this strict control. Nonetheless, complaints from Cuban medical specialists persist, as they attempt to obtain passports at identity card offices, only to be told they are "regulated."