Calabria, Italy, Refuses to Fire Cuban Doctors

Calabria governor Roberto Occhiuto stands with Cuban doctors in white coats at a meeting in Italy.

U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to Cuba Mike Hammer was last week in Italy, where he met with Roberto Occhiuto, the governor of the southern region of Calabria. He pushed Occhiuto to end Calabria’s employment of around 500 Cuban doctors. Occhiuto refused. 

After the meeting he issued a statement saying: “Cuban doctors who are allowing us to keep hospitals and emergency rooms open are still a necessity for our region.”

In an apparent concession, Occhiuto added that he had intended to increase that number to as many as 1,000 in 2026, but is now considering advertising for applicants from elsewhere. 

Cuban doctors and nurses are paid many times more abroad than what they earn in Cuba. Belly of the Beast has verified that Cuban doctors in Italy are paid 3,000€ a month. They must send 1,800€ of that to the Cuban state (much of which supports the public healthcare system), and keep 1,200€.

Belly of the Beast has interviewed dozens of Cuban doctors who work or who have worked abroad. Every single one of them has told us they signed up voluntarily. That’s not the impression you’d get from reading the corporate media. (See previous post about Cuban doctors being made to leave Honduras.)