Cuban Government Punishes Emigrated Doctors by Withholding Academic Documents

Cuban doctors have raised concerns that the Havana government systematically refuses to provide "non-disqualification" and "employment history" certificates to professionals who have emigrated. This action prevents them from registering and practicing their profession in countries like Spain, which is currently experiencing a severe shortage of healthcare staff. The measure, criticized by medical professionals and associations, is seen as a direct punishment by Miguel Díaz-Canel's regime for those who have left the state-run health system without official permission.

For over a year, the Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) has refused to issue essential documents needed for professional recognition abroad, particularly the "non-disqualified" certificate. This document is crucial for doctors seeking to register with professional bodies in Spain, as highlighted in a report by The Objective.

“It is a form of pressure to prevent doctors from leaving the country,” asserts Guillermo Ponce, president of the Association of Cuban Doctors in Spain (AMCUBE). “Healthcare professionals are the third largest source of income for the Cuban government, following remittances and tourism.”

This documentation blockade effectively forces hundreds of certified Cuban doctors into unemployment or precarious jobs, as they are unable to legally practice their profession. Cases like that of Dr. Gaylor Márquez, a pediatric intensivist, and a psychiatrist with 34 years of experience, demonstrate that even professionals with no previous sanctions are denied their employment records for emigrating without authorization.

“We have no right to choose our destiny,” remarks Márquez, deemed a "deserter of the health system" by the regime after leaving Cuba upon completing a medical mission in Equatorial Guinea. Now residing in Spain, he is unable to practice medicine.

The ordeal of Axiel, a doctor who arrived in Madrid in 2021 after a complex migration journey, illustrates the challenges faced. Despite completing all necessary recognition processes in Spain, the situation has become “a nightmare.” “My calling became a nightmare due to the lack of resources in hospitals. I was sanctioned for speaking the truth to patients,” he recounts. In Cuba, he was specializing in surgery but was listed as regulated by the MININT. He only managed to leave the country after paying for a "temporary deregulation" to obtain his passport.

Currently, he cleans tourist apartments to make ends meet while waiting for his degree to be validated. Like him, over 300 Cuban doctors are awaiting the certificate that will allow them to practice, as reported by the independent outlet Periodismo de Barrio.

The story of an anonymous psychiatrist who has been in Spain for a year after 34 years of service in Cuba highlights the human cost of this oppression. “I never had issues with the system. I feel betrayed by a country to which I dedicated my professional life,” she states. She is now studying to become a social health assistant, caring for the elderly in nursing homes. Like her, many Cuban doctors continue to identify as such, even if they cannot practice, while they await recognition from bureaucrats in Cuba or Spain acknowledging their training, skills, and right to work honorably.

After years of struggle, only a few have managed to have their qualifications recognized. One such case was that of a Cuban woman in January, and just this Saturday, news emerged that another young doctor received notification that his medical degree was finally recognized in Spain, after more than three years of waiting.