“Exile was the price I paid.” With this stark statement, Arisleydi López, a Cuban nurse, summarizes the personal cost she claims to have endured after exposing what she describes as fraud within the medical brigades dispatched by the Havana regime to Mexico during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In an interview with Fuerza Informativa Azteca (FIA), the news division of TV Azteca, a Mexican media outlet known for its opposition to Morena's government and whose owner has faced tax evasion accusations publicly addressed by President Claudia Sheinbaum, López revealed that the personnel sent under the guise of "solidarity collaboration" included military members and Communist Party militants from Cuba, many lacking the proper training to care for patients.
According to López, these alleged specialists received merely five days of preparation before being deployed, while Mexico paid millions for a service that, she insists, did not align with reality. “You can't sell a workforce for $16 million when they’ve been trained in just five days,” she stated.
López, who was part of the first brigade sent to Mexico from April to July 2020, claimed that after she exposed these practices, she was forced to escape to the United States, leaving her family behind.
Her account is not entirely new. The Latin American digital outlet La Patilla had previously reported on her accusations regarding the internal operations of these missions.
These revelations align with other journalistic investigations and reports cited by FIA that suggest a broader pattern. Organizations like Cuba Archive and Prisoners Defenders have warned that the medical brigades also serve as political and economic tools for the Cuban regime, involving intelligence personnel and lacking transparency in the financial dealings with host countries.
In Mexico, investigations by El Universal have documented that the Mexican government has allocated over $105 million to this program without having clear evaluations of its impact, while health authorities admit they lack metrics on the actual performance of the Cuban doctors.
For Arisleydi López, the narrative of solidarity hides a different story. One that, she asserts, not only deceived host countries but also shattered her life, leading her into exile.
Insights on Cuban Medical Brigades and Political Implications
Why did Arisleydi López have to leave Cuba?
Arisleydi López had to leave Cuba because she exposed fraudulent practices within the Cuban medical brigades sent to Mexico, which led to her fleeing to the United States for safety, leaving her family behind.
What accusations have been made against the Cuban medical brigades in Mexico?
Accusations against the Cuban medical brigades include deploying military personnel and Communist Party members with insufficient training and operating as political and economic instruments for the Cuban regime without transparency.
How much has Mexico spent on the Cuban medical program?
Mexico has spent over $105 million on the Cuban medical program, despite lacking clear evaluations or metrics on its impact and the performance of the Cuban doctors.