MEXICO CITY.- Mexico’s National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Protection of Personal Data (INAI) accused the Cuban regime of withholding 94.4% of the salary of Cuban doctors sent to Mexico during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to reports from the digital edition of Formula Radio.
INAI Commissioner Norma del Río urged the Banco del Bienestar to provide clarity on payments to Cuban doctors who provided services in Mexico amid the health crisis. According to the INAI, the Federal Government of Mexico paid $10,700 to Havana for the hiring of these health professionals, as part of an agreement between Miguel Díaz-Canel and Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
In June 2020, Cuban Diary had already revealed details of the contract, indicating that a total of $6,255,792 was allocated for the salaries of 585 Cuban doctors and nurses who faced the pandemic in Mexico. Del Río Venegas now points out that INABI declared itself incompetent to reveal the invoices generated by said contracting.
The commissioner emphasizes that the $10,700 paid by each of the 585 Cuban professionals covered a period of three months. According to an international report to which she had access, “it is only said that Havana gave them 600 dollars for three months and that the rest will be covered by the Government of Mexico.” This incident highlights the dependence of the Cuban regime on the export of professionals to obtain foreign currency.
For its part, the United Nations (UN) once again pointed out the Cuban regime for persistent violations of the rights of exported workers, especially doctors on “internationalist missions.”
The UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoya Obokata, warned of accusations of “forced labour” and inadequate working conditions, highlighting the need to address fundamental rights, insufficient wages and restrictions on freedom of movement of Cuban professionals abroad.
Source: With information from Radio Formula and Diario de Cuba
