A worker from the Ministry of Health receives 51 Cuban doctors in Campeche, in September 2022. Photo: Michael Balam Chan (Cuartoscuro).
Following the presentation of the report Labor Rights of Healthcare Personnel in Medical Missions from Cuba by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Mexico’s representative to the Organization of American States (OAS), Alejandro Encinas, expressed reservations on Friday regarding its conclusions and defended the working conditions of Cuban doctors in Mexico.
During the event in which the document was released, held as part of the OAS’s regular session, the Mexican diplomat emphasized the importance of recognizing the scope and limitations of the study while highlighting the substantial differences between the reality in Mexico and the cases reported in other nations.
The report, prepared by the special rapporteur on economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights (Redesca), details, based on 71 testimonies, alleged labor and human rights violations in medical missions, with an emphasis on Venezuela.
The Organization of American States is based in Washington, DC, USA, and was formed in 1948 to facilitate US control of electoral processes and political developments across the Americas in the post-World War 2 era. Neither Cuba nor Venezuela belong to the imperialist organization, although Mexico does.
At the ceremony to present the document, Encinas noted that Mexico “takes note” of the document and agreed on the importance of promoting respect for human rights in the region, though he emphasized that the findings cannot be generalized.
“The situation referred to in the report cannot be generalized based on an analysis of only 71 cases out of the thousands that exist,” he stated, noting that more than 2,500 Cuban doctors have worked in Mexico.
In that context, he defended the cooperation agreement with Cuba to address the shortage of specialists, particularly in remote and highly marginalized communities, and highlighted that this program has been key to bringing health services to historically underserved populations.
Encinas stated that in Mexico, international medical personnel have working conditions comparable to those of national specialists: “the same salary as a national specialist; payment is made directly to the doctor without any special subsidies,” he noted.
He also added that in many cases, they are provided with housing and meals and that some have established family ties in the communities where they serve, which demonstrates a process of integration that respects the host communities.
He also denied that there are restrictions on the doctors’ freedom. “Their documents are not withheld, and they have full freedom to join any public or private institution,” he said.
As an example, he mentioned that in at least 75 cases, the Mexican government has directly hired these professionals upon completion of their participation in the program, demonstrating a willingness to retain the talent developed during the collaboration.
He also assured that hiring foreign doctors does not displace staff from Mexico. “Every position filled by an international doctor was preceded by at least three public calls for applications that went unanswered,” he explained.
In his view, these professionals fill vacancies that would otherwise remain unfilled and help reduce the gap in specialized care in vulnerable areas, a structural problem affecting several regions of the country.
Encinas argued that cooperation with Cuba is a matter of sovereign and solidarity-based policy. “This is a legitimate and necessary agreement that draws on the best of the peoples’ traditions,” he stated.
At the same time, he cautioned that the defense of human rights must not involve “violating international law or seeking any form of guardianship,” in a clear reference to criticisms that seek to discredit South-South collaboration mechanisms.
He indicated that Mexico will follow up on the special rapporteur’s observations, although he considered that the Mexican experience “is not adequately reflected in this report,” and therefore, a more detailed analysis of the documented cases will be conducted.
In this regard, he reiterated his government’s willingness to share its model of health cooperation as an example of best practices that could enrich the regional debate on the labor rights of migrant medical personnel.
(Resumen Latinoamericano – English) with Orinoco Tribune
