Calabria Defies U.S. Pressure, Keeps Cuban Doctors

The southern Italian region of Calabria continues to rely on more than 200 Cuban doctors to staff its public hospitals, maintaining a program that has drawn sustained pressure from the United States to end. The arrangement, which began in January 2023, has become a critical stopgap for a healthcare system plagued by doctor shortages and chronic underfunding.

Calabria, Italy's poorest region, has long struggled to retain medical professionals, with many newly graduated doctors building careers in the wealthier north. This exodus forced the closure of some hospital departments before the Cuban doctors arrived. Francesco Moschella, the chief physician at Polistena hospital, described the situation as a disaster, recalling a time when he was keeping the emergency room open entirely by himself. The Cuban medical brigade now provides essential staffing, with six Cuban doctors making up half the emergency room staff at the Polistena facility, which sees approximately 30,000 patients annually.

The program's continuation places Calabria at odds with U.S. foreign policy, which has long criticized Cuba's international medical missions. U.S. officials have labeled the program a key source...