Uruguay Rejects U.S. Criticism of Cuban Doctors

The government of Uruguay expressed its rejection of United States interference in Latin America, after Washington urged it to do without the services of Cuban medical brigades in Montevideo.

The U.S. criticism is part of its annual report on human trafficking, in which Cuban medical missions are pointed to as alleged cases of labor exploitation. This accusation was interpreted in Uruguay as an attempt to limit the health service that Cuba provides in the region and to establish U.S. hegemony in the region.

The plan, driven by sectors linked to the administration of Donald Trump and promoted by figures such as his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, takes place after Uruguay's refusal to join the strategy called "Shield of the Americas," which seeks to coordinate Latin American governments with the United States in an alleged fight against organized crime and drug trafficking.

Uruguay recalled that cooperation with Cuba in health matters has historical roots dating back to 2005, when it received the first contingent of Cuban doctors. That same year, 30 Uruguayan patients traveled to Havana to undergo free eye surgery under Operation Miracle.

Since then, Cuban personnel have performed more than 118,000 surgeries in Uruguay and handled around 916,000 medical consultations, figures that reflect the impact of bilateral collaboration.

In December 2022, Ariel Ferrari, representative of retirees and pensioners before the Social Security Bank (BPS), stressed the relevance of the Cuban contribution to the Uruguayan health system. According to his statements, more than half of the surgical interventions performed in the country's hospitals — between 55 and 60 percent — were carried out by health professionals from Cuba.

The joint work also allowed for the creation of a hospital specializing in ophthalmology, consolidating health cooperation across different governments. Politician Alejandro "Pacha" Sánchez responded to the criticism by stating: "We obey the Uruguayan people, not the United States."