Cuba's Health of Minister Roberto Morales, minimized criticisms made by Brazilian medical institutions regarding the agreement signed between the two countries to run a program called Más Médicos (More Doctors), in statements made to the newspaper Folha de São Paulo.
"We haven't talked about lending services. We're talking about collaboration, integration," Morales said in what was the first time a senior Cuban official reacts to criticism triggered within Brazilian society by the working conditions imposed on Cuban doctors.
The minister defended the principle of "proletarian internationalism" to justify the terms of the agreement with Brazil, which he described as "collaboration" rather than "services."
"We aren't contracting out individual physicians. In Cuba's case, it's an agreement with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Ministry of Health in Brazil," said Morales.
"We haven't talked about lending services. We're talking about collaboration, integration," Morales said in what was the first time a senior Cuban official reacts to criticism triggered within Brazilian society by the working conditions imposed on Cuban doctors.
The minister defended the principle of "proletarian internationalism" to justify the terms of the agreement with Brazil, which he described as "collaboration" rather than "services."
"We aren't contracting out individual physicians. In Cuba's case, it's an agreement with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Ministry of Health in Brazil," said Morales.
The Brazilian newspaper revealed that while doctors from other countries receive the full monthly salary of 10,000 Brazilian reais (about $ 4,300) assigned for their work, and can even take their family to Brazil, Cubans only receive between 800 and 900 reais per month (just over $ 300), their family members may not travel with them and the rest of their salary is sent to the Cuban government.
The Cuban government negotiates contracts overseas for health professionals, through the state-owned Cuban Medical Services S.A. that markets more than 150 health care programs and sells medical treatment to more than 100 countries.
On Monday, Morales visited a health post in Jaboatão dos Guararape, in the metropolitan region of Recife, along with the Brazilian Health Minister Alexandre Padilha and PAHO Director, Carissa Etienne.
Etienne said she had not seen such harsh criticism in other countries regarding the recruitment of Cuban docotrs as in Brazil and defended Havana's adopted system of sending doctors to other countries, which she said does not violate labor rights or human rights.
"This is how Cuba works," said Etienne.
According to Brazil's Ministry of Health, there are 3,663 foreign doctors working in the country, 2,400 of which are Cuban. The government's goal is to have 13,000 health professionals incorporated into the Más Médicos program by March 2014,
