The Cuban government reaffirmed that its overseas medical missions will continue operating despite new sanctions announced by the United States.
Through his official X account, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said the island “will continue providing services” and stressed that these programs are “legitimate cooperation initiatives.” He also described the U.S. measures as proof that “imposition and aggression are the new doctrine of foreign policy” under Republican President Donald Trump’s administration.
More than 24,000 Cuban health professionals currently work in nearly 60 countries. This solidarity effort has been a central pillar of Cuba’s foreign policy since the victory of the Cuban Revolution, which turned medical cooperation into a hallmark of the island’s diplomacy.
For decades, Cuba has sent more doctors abroad than the World Health Organization (WHO). In most cases, aid is provided free of charge, especially to low-income countries. Over the past decade, Havana began receiving economic compensation for services in wealthier countries that can afford the costs. Cuban doctors in these missions receive a local stipend higher than salaries on the island, while maintaining their wages in Cuba.
Participation in the medical brigades is voluntary, and part of the host country’s payment goes directly to Cuba’s public health system, helping sustain it under the constraints of the U.S. blockade.
Havana’s response came after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a new round of sanctions targeting officials from African countries, without specifying which, as well as from Brazil and Grenada, accused of facilitating contracts with Cuban medical services.
In an official statement, Rubio claimed the State Department acts against “officials complicit with the Cuban regime” involved in organizing and maintaining the brigades. The sanctions also targeted former Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) staff and Brazilian officials linked to a federal program that brought thousands of Cuban doctors to remote and underserved areas.
Reactions from Brazil
In response to sanctions against Brazilian officials, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized Washington’s blockade on Cuba and defended the medical program.
Speaking at an event in Goiana, in Brazil’s northeastern state of Pernambuco, Lula said, “It is important to know that our relationship with Cuba is one of respect for a people who have been victims of a blockade for 70 years.”
He condemned the humanitarian impact of the blockade, stating: “Today they are facing hardship under a blockade with no justification. The United States fought a war, lost. Accept that you lost and let Cubans live in peace. Don’t keep trying to control the world.”
Health Minister Alexandre Padilha also denounced the sanctions, calling them an “unjustifiable attack” on a program that “saves lives.” He noted that Cuban doctors have long worked in Brazilian regions where local physicians often refuse to serve due to difficult conditions and lack of infrastructure.
On X, Padilha wrote that Brazil will not bow to “those who persecute vaccines, researchers, science and now two of the key people behind the program during my first term as Health Minister: Mozart Sales and Alberto Kleiman.”
A symbol of international cooperation
For over half a century, Cuba has developed an extensive medical cooperation program that has become an international symbol. Cuban medical brigades have responded to natural disasters and public health crises worldwide.
The island also created a broad training initiative for young people from vulnerable communities abroad. Through the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), more than 73,000 foreign students have graduated as doctors committed to serving their communities.
Cuban cooperation has also helped build healthcare systems in countries like Algeria, Haiti, and Venezuela. In Haiti alone, over 6,000 Cuban doctors have provided 36 million consultations and saved about 429,000 lives since 1998.
In 2005, Cuba established the Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade, specialized in disaster and epidemic response. The group has worked against Ebola in West Africa, assisted earthquake and hurricane victims, and supported COVID-19 response in more than 20 countries.
Another program, Operation Miracle, has restored the vision of over 4 million people in 34 countries free of charge, reinforcing the role of Cuban medicine as a tool of solidarity and diplomacy.
