A Cuban doctor specializing in both general and intensive care medicine took to TikTok to express her frustration with the socialist regime's migration policies, which have prevented her from leaving Cuba despite waiting three years to be released from the healthcare system's hold.
"I'm trapped in this country; I'm a Cuban doctor, living here, and people often ask me why I don't leave with my family," she declared in a video posted on Saturday.
The doctor shared that she had abandoned her second specialty just two months shy of graduation, hoping it would allow her to emigrate. "I left my specialty just two months before finishing to emigrate, just like everyone else was doing," she explained.
However, this move did not grant her freedom. The Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) classifies doctors in their final year of a specialty or with a secondary specialty as "regulated population," preventing them from obtaining a passport or leaving the country without explicit ministry approval.
"The health system regulates you when you're in your final year or have a secondary specialty, which is what happened to me," the doctor elaborated.
After three years of requesting her release, on April 13, 2026, she finally received the notification, but MINSAP did not lift the migration restriction. "After three years of waiting, I finally got the notification on April 13, but they didn't remove my regulation," she protested.
Her attempts to appeal yielded no results. "I started to claim my rights, but due to government issues, there's been no clarity. It seems there was a mix-up, but I still haven't received an answer," she stated.
Her story is one among many similar cases documented in recent months. In April, another Cuban doctor was stopped by MINSAP from obtaining a passport after a three-year wait for release.
In June, Dr. Alberto Tejeda Ill penned a letter titled "They're Violating My Human Rights," accusing MINSAP of denying him a passport despite having no employment ties to the ministry.
The legal basis for these restrictions is Decree Law 306 dated October 11, 2012, which categorizes health professionals as "Vital Category," considering them indispensable. Despite a legal process timeframe of 50 days, the authorization can take up to five years or be indefinitely prolonged without formal justification.
In June 2026, the regime quietly removed from its Soberanía digital platform the message explaining the exit ban for specialists, replacing it with a generic text directing inquiries to MININT offices.
The new Migration Law No. 171/2024, published in the Official Gazette on May 5, 2026, failed to resolve the problem: Article 97 allows blocking exit to preserve the "qualified workforce," and authorization remains at the discretion of officials.
In 2026, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights released a report denouncing the Cuban Medical Missions program as forced labor, human trafficking, and modern slavery, citing document retention and confiscation of 70% to 90% of the wages of doctors sent abroad.
"That's why I can't leave this country and why I'm still here," the doctor concluded in her video, which had garnered over 9,200 views at the time of posting.
Understanding Cuban Migration Restrictions for Doctors
Why are Cuban doctors unable to leave the country?
Cuban doctors are often classified as "regulated population" by the Ministry of Public Health, particularly those in their final year of a specialty or holding a secondary specialty. This designation prevents them from obtaining passports or leaving the country without explicit ministry permission.
What legal framework supports these restrictions?
The restrictions are based on Decree Law 306 from October 11, 2012, which categorizes health professionals as "Vital Category" due to their indispensable role. The process can legally take up to 50 days, but may extend indefinitely without formal justification.
How has the new Migration Law No. 171/2024 impacted doctors' ability to leave Cuba?
The new law, published in 2026, continues to allow the blocking of exits to preserve the "qualified workforce," keeping the decision at the discretion of government officials without fundamentally changing the situation for doctors.