Cuban Doctors Are Desired in Colombia, But Are Barred by Government

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The mayor of the Colombian city of Medellín, Daniel Quintero Calle, has addressed a letter to Cuba and four other countries asking for help in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

He expressed his wish for “help and solidarity from a medical team” from Cuba, according to the letter to the Cuban ambassador in the Colombian capital Bogotá, José Luis Ponce. The capacity of the intensive care units in the city had “already collapsed before the pandemic began,” he explained.

There were only “118 intensive care specialists, an insufficient number to ensure the care of the critically sick patients.” Quintero also referred to the highly praised work performed by Cuban healthcare teams in other countries such as Italy and Spain. The mayor’s office would have “all the necessary resources for the transfer and stay in the city with all the required safety guarantees,” he said.

This request was immediately criticized by right-wing populist politicians, and the Colombian government of President Iván Duque rejects the proposal to allow a Cuban medical mission to work in the country. Duque stressed that “the summoning of foreign doctors is a matter of utmost urgency” and that procedures must be rigorously followed.

His refusal may also be related to increasing pressure from the US government, which is trying to prevent the deployment of Cuban medical personnel to other countries in order to cut off the associated foreign exchange profits.

Recently, three US Senators introduced a bill in the US Congress entitled “Stop the profits of the Cuban regime”, which would instruct the US State Department to consider government approval of medical missions from Cuba to other countries as a negative factor in the drafting of the US report on human trafficking in the world.

In contrast, Colombian Senator Gustavo Petro supports the initiative from Medellín and said: “If you bring a foreign soldier and a foreign doctor here, what can you expect when you think about it? The first one means death, the second life.” Petro was referring to the recent deployment of US Special Forces in Colombia, which Duque recently ordered after bypassing parliament.

Mayor Quintero retaliated to accusations from the right-wing: “We failed to understand the coronavirus’ message. Transcending borders, races, and ideologies, it served as a reminder that we all need each other as human beings. Life must come before politics.”