A young Cuban doctor, who graduated just three years ago, has taken to social media to reveal a heart-wrenching decision: he has abandoned the profession he loves due to the deplorable state of public healthcare in Cuba. Yoelvis Estanquero Oliva, hailing from Güines in Mayabeque, announced on the platform X that he decided 10 months ago to stop practicing medicine, despite it being his greatest passion.
Estanquero cited numerous reasons for his drastic choice, including the "deplorable conditions, lack of resources, and the control over patients." He boldly stated that he would rather be labeled a coward for not practicing medicine in Cuba, because he sees himself as courageous for refusing to participate in a "circus with people's health."
It is hard not to feel sorrow over this Cuban doctor's decision, or any similar choices made by professionals just starting their careers, especially when such decisions are driven by profound frustration and helplessness.
In 2021, Estanquero joyfully announced on Instagram his graduation as a doctor. "And so it happens… in a grand way, today I am so proud of my colleagues, of myself… after six intense years of study, sacrifice, bravery… today I see my loved ones smile, and I tell them it was worth it, thanks for all the recognitions, it has been a very important day for me," he expressed. "Thanks to everyone who has been part of this dream, because dreams do come true," he added.
The Struggle of Cuban Doctors
The disenchantment and frustration experienced by Cuban doctors as they commence their professional journeys in the healthcare system have led many—those who have the option—to leave the sector. Others, burdened with sorrow, continue to work despite the despair of seeing patients die due to a lack of medications and other critical issues plaguing the profession.
Recently, a doctor from Santiago de Cuba, weary of witnessing patient deaths from the absence of essential drugs and supplies, and frustrated by the regime's failure to find effective solutions, compared the healthcare system's decline—long touted as a government hallmark—to the death of the nation. "The homeland has died on us, damn it, and there's nothing left to do about it," concluded a doctor from the eastern province in a series of reflections shared with CiberCuba.
According to this physician, most of his acquaintances maintain some connection with people abroad and watch as the Cuban diaspora pursues dreams like well-paying jobs, buying cars or new homes, or obtaining bank loans. Meanwhile, those who remain on the island face a harsh reality where "existence has been reduced to a survival race within the narrow confines of blackouts, water shortages, the struggle for cash, concerns about food, and the constant dealing with queues, scarcity, and inflation…”