US pressure to strangle Cuba reaches the hospitals of Calabria

"Without them, we couldn't keep the Emergency Room open. It simply wouldn't exist. They are the 12 Cuban doctors under her supervision, who, for the past three years, have allowed the ER at the John Paul II Hospital in Lamezia Terme, Calabria, in southern Italy, to function."

"I think we have helped to lighten the workload in the ER, since there are thousands of admissions. Calabrian people are very similar to Latinos. With our Italian colleagues, we have been able to work well together in a job that is not easy."

"Cuba's international missions have for decades been a source of foreign currency and soft power for Cuba and which, with the escalating pressure from the United States to increase the economic strangulation of the island, have once again come under scrutiny from the Trump administration."

Calabria, one of Europe's poorest regions, faced a critical healthcare crisis with chronic doctor shortages forcing hospital unit closures. In 2022, regional authorities hired 12 Cuban physicians to staff the emergency room at John Paul II Hospital in Lamezia Terme, enabling continued operations. These doctors, including Miladis Hernandez Velazquez, have successfully integrated with Italian colleagues and significantly reduced workload pressures. Cuba's international medical missions serve dual purposes: generating foreign currency and projecting soft power globally. The U.S. has scrutinized these arrangements, with the American charge d'affaires visiting Calabria to discuss the matter with regional president Roberto Occhiuto, reflecting escalating U.S. pressure on Cuba through economic sanctions.

Read at english.elpais.com