Dr. Daycee Zamora, a graduate from the University of Medical Sciences of Havana in 2015 and a specialist in Comprehensive General Medicine, has openly criticized the Cuban regime for the exploitation she experienced during her participation in the Mais Médicos program in Brazil. She described the program as a facade for exploitation rather than genuine cooperation.
In a video shared across social media platforms, Zamora declared, "My name is Daycee Zamora, a doctor graduated from the University of Medical Sciences of Havana in 2015, specializing in Comprehensive General Medicine. In 2017, I went to work in Brazil under the Mais Médicos program. I must clarify and denounce that this program is neither supportive nor altruistic because the reality is we are forced to participate due to the impossibility of living as doctors in Cuba."
Zamora didn't hold back in her criticism of the Communist Party's role: "The Cuban Communist Party only uses these missions to exploit us, coercing, enslaving, and stealing from us. They take over 80% of our salaries, all while pretending to show solidarity and altruism, which simply doesn't exist." She further detailed the abuses she faced, including "psychological torture, coercion, and indoctrination attempts" and lamented the "horrible and abusive" nature of these missions.
She also condemned the regime's practice of enforcing forced exile on doctors who choose not to return to Cuba after their missions. "Like in my case, if you decide to stay in the country where you're working, you're banned from returning to your home country for eight years," Zamora explained. She strongly rejected the official narrative portraying these missions as humanitarian, stating, "There's no altruism, no solidarity. It's just Cuban political interference and abuse by the Communist Party authorities."
The video of Zamora's statements has been widely shared. On Facebook, the page La Nueva Cuba highlighted her ordeal as a "former slave in the Brazilian medical mission." On Twitter, user @doclibreuy commented on the so-called 'solidarity aid' from Cuba, referring to it as "armed robbery, abuse, exploitation, and slavery of doctors," emphasizing that the Cuban dictatorship has profited from medical professionals for decades.
Additionally, the organization Cubanos Libres en Uruguay shared the video on Facebook, identifying Zamora as an activist and group member, and highlighting the regime's violations and the trafficking of 'slave doctors.'
Zamora's experience reflects broader accusations from international organizations, governments, and other Cuban professionals about the operations of these medical missions. Recently, the United States government reported that the Cuban regime earns over $4.9 billion annually from these missions, while subjecting workers to exploitative conditions. Both the State Department and the European Parliament have labeled these practices as forms of forced labor and modern slavery.
A recent report by the Cuba Archive project unveiled that in countries like the Bahamas, the regime retains between 83.9% and 91.6% of the salary paid for each collaborator, leaving Cuban professionals with merely $990 to $1,200 monthly. Their contracts prohibit them from taking other jobs or discussing the agreement's contents and require participation in political events.
Even Cuba's Minister of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, admitted in April that the brigades had withheld doctors' passports for years as a "preventive measure," confirming this in an official broadcast.
In Brazil, following the regime's withdrawal from the Mais Médicos program in 2018, many Cuban professionals chose to remain in the country, facing challenges in revalidating their credentials to continue practicing medicine. Dr. Juan Delgado, who joined the program in 2013, has struggled to validate his degree despite his 30 years of experience, resorting to selling natural products for survival. Similarly, Dr. Mariela Ambruster, who worked from 2013 to 2016 in northeast Brazil, has been unable to revalidate her diploma and currently survives by caring for the elderly, having lost the original of her diploma, further complicating her legal and professional status.
Understanding the Exploitation in Cuban Medical Missions
What is the Mais Médicos program in Brazil?
Mais Médicos is a program in Brazil aimed at providing medical assistance in underserved areas by recruiting doctors from various countries, including Cuba. However, it has been criticized for exploiting Cuban doctors under the guise of solidarity.
How does the Cuban regime exploit doctors in these missions?
The Cuban regime exploits doctors by taking the majority of their salaries, imposing strict conditions, and enforcing political participation. Doctors are often coerced, and their freedom is severely restricted.
How do these missions impact doctors' lives after the program?
Many doctors who choose not to return to Cuba face forced exile and struggle to revalidate their credentials in their host countries, often leading to financial and professional hardships.