The United States calls Cuba’s medical internationalism "human trafficking" — but it’s really an internationalist lifeline for the Global South.

By Helen Yaffe
March 8, 2025

"On February 25, US secretary of state Marco Rubio announced restrictions on visas for both government officials in Cuba and any others worldwide who are “complicit” with the island nation’s overseas medical-assistance programs. A US State Department statement clarified that the sanction extends to “current and former” officials and the “immediate family of such persons.”"

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[–] Bloomcole@lemmy.ml 10 points 6 days ago (6 children)

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3464859/

in virtually every critical area of public health and medicine facing poor countries Cuba has achieved undeniable success; these include most prominently – creating a high quality primary care network and an unequaled public health system,

According to official statistics (about which, as we'll see, there is some debate), the infant mortality rate in Cuba is only 4.0 deaths per 1,000 live births. In the United States, it's 5.9. In other words, an American infant is, by official statistics, almost 50 percent more likely to die than a Cuban infant.

The infant mortality rate for Mexico in 2023 was 12.534 deaths per 1000 live births

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 0 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (5 children)

If we are unbiased and ignore OPs political claims. (Both/all sides use aid for this when they can).

And the actual statements of skill do not contradict each other. Cuba will be using very different equipmentment and procedures compared to the MX. Just like most poorer nations. A very very skilled doctor in one nation will usually.ly take time to fit into the system and requirements of another. Adding the limited supply from Western medical tech to Cuba due to political restrictions. Well of course things are different. MX for all its immigration hate has a healthy trade with the US.

Anyone who thinks Western doctors have nothing to learn when going to Africa etc. Is rather unrealistic.

[–] Bloomcole@lemmy.ml 4 points 5 days ago (4 children)

The second part OK, but " infiltrate other countries" "network of informants and colluded with G2 members to advance information direct from the ground." is not something Cuba does.
I'm sure they welcome the good PR but that' it. These claims are just paranoid delusional evil commie scaremongering. They're a tiny island with less than 9 million people. Not the US, China, Russia powers playing geopolitical games.

[–] marl_karx@lemmygrad.ml 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

i agree with everything, but calling cuba tiny is a bit of an understatement, cuba is about the size of portugal or bulgaria or hungary or south korea (not combined, individually)

[–] Bloomcole@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 days ago

'tiny' is indeed subjective and somewhat too strong, and I ment that about the size of the population, not the km2.
And only in the context of being able to weigh or act on a global political scale. There are simply too little people.
I call my country (Belgium) 3x smaller even in size but a bit more inhabitants tiny too sometimes.
Most important thing is that Cuba is great in their accomplishments.

👍

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