Rubio Goes After Brazil, Africa over Cuban Medical Missions
Brazil’s President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva
The U.S. imposed visa restrictions on government officials – and their families – from Africa, Brazil, Cuba and Grenada on August 13 for their role in Cuba’s medical cooperation teams, which the U.S. deems “forced labor.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been targeting Cuban health cooperation for years, stepping up the pressure since becoming a member of the Trump cabinet. In February, he announced the new policy of imposing visa restrictions on foreign government officials who helped welcome Cuban health professionals serving in their countries. Last June, Central American officials were thus sanctioned by the State Department.
Neither the nationality of the African officials nor the identity of the Grenadian and Cuban officials was disclosed. On the other hand, the identity of the Brazilian officials is public, and it includes Minister of Health Alexandre Padilha as well as his wife and 10-year-old daughter.
Brazil’s inclusion is curious since there hasn’t been a Cuban mission there in seven years. The State Department stated the U.S. was sanctioning Brazilian officials – and former Pan American Health Organization officials – for their role in bringing over 10,000 doctors from Cuba to Brazil between 2013 and 2018. The Cuban mission ended after Jair Bolsonaro assumed the presidency.
Brazil’s President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva has consistently defended Cuba’s South-South medical cooperation and praised Cuba’s healthcare system and its doctors.
Cuba has been sending medical personnel worldwide since the 1960s, particularly to countries in the Global South, where they provide healthcare for underserved communities. Cuban health professionals with the Henry Reeve Brigade have also treated Ebola patients in Africa, earthquake victims in Pakistan and Haiti, and later the deluge of COVID patients in countries such as Italy.
Through contracts with host governments, the missions have become one of the main sources of foreign currency for Cuba, and thus a target of heightened Trump sanctions. The Cuban government says the money generated from the missions is used to help fund the nation’s universal public health system, which provides care free of charge to its citizens.