Uruguay Discloses Costs and Management of Cuban Medical Mission Salaries

Uruguay allocates approximately $250,000 annually for the operation of the Cuban medical mission known as Operación Milagro. However, the Banco de Previsión Social (BPS) does not directly handle the salaries of these healthcare professionals; instead, the Cuban government manages their compensation.

Jimena Pardo, President of the BPS, clarified that the funds provided by Uruguay are not considered salaries for the specialists but are instead reimbursements intended to cover the operational costs of the brigade.

“What Uruguay provides is referred to as a stipend, which is a reimbursement of expenses,” Pardo elaborated during an interview on the program 8AM on Canal 4, as reported by Telenoche.

She further explained that the funds are advanced and later accounted for in terms of expenditure. The money is transferred to a brigade account designated by the Ministry of Public Health.

Pardo emphasized that the BPS does not directly compensate the Cuban doctors, and their salary management is the responsibility of the Cuban authorities.

U.S. Concerns Over Cuban Medical Missions

This clarification arises amidst controversy surrounding Havana's medical missions and a warning from the United States to Uruguay.

According to the weekly publication Búsqueda, Uruguay's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was informed that the country is among 15 nations that might lose certain U.S. assistance due to payments related to Cuban medical brigade services.

For years, Washington has criticized the model where foreign governments contract these services from the Cuban state, which then administers the professionals' salaries.

Nonetheless, Pardo stated that the BPS has not received any official communication regarding potential repercussions.

“Nothing official has reached the BPS in terms of communication about this,” she noted. The issue is currently being handled by Uruguay’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Pardo is optimistic that it can be resolved through dialogue.

Broader Implications and Human Rights Concerns

The controversy extends beyond Uruguay. In July, the U.S. sanctioned Cuban Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda as part of actions against Havana’s system of exporting medical services.

The U.S. Department of State has accused the Cuban government of withholding between 50% and 95% of the payments designated for its professionals in certain missions, also imposing conditions that Washington views as indicators of forced labor. Notably, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described these practices as “atrocious.”

Additionally, in April, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) addressed the conditions faced by Cuban professionals sent abroad, documenting reports of surveillance, movement restrictions, document control, and reprisals. The IACHR has urged all countries in the Americas to withdraw from the Cuban Medical Missions Program.

Uruguay's Stance on Continued Cooperation

Despite U.S. pressure, Uruguay has affirmed its intention to maintain cooperation with Cuba.

Presidential Secretary Alejandro Sánchez recently confirmed the ongoing presence of Cuban doctors, according to Public Media.

“We answer to the Uruguayan people. The government answers to the Uruguayan people because Uruguay is a sovereign nation,” Sánchez declared.

Currently, 21 Cuban ophthalmologists are working in Uruguay under Operación Milagro, with rotations lasting approximately three years. Since the program's inception during the first government of Tabaré Vázquez, nearly one million screenings and over 220,000 surgeries, primarily for cataracts, have been conducted.

“The agreement with the Cuban doctors has allowed thousands of Uruguayans to see, and we acknowledge and highly value that,” Sánchez defended.