Nearly 500 Cuban doctors are working in southwestern Italy to fill a serious shortage of staff in one of Western Europe's poorest regions.
In an operating room at a hospital in Calabria, southwestern Italy, Asbel Díaz Fonseca and his colleagues were preparing for abdominal surgery on a man in his 60s. They considered whether to use British or American medical techniques, before finally choosing the latter.
Before the surgery, the main topic of discussion was food, specifically which pizza was the best: Neapolitan or Calabrian. The two were slightly different, but they concluded that they were equally good, since there was a Neapolitan medical staff in the room.
Asbel Díaz Fonseca, 38, a Cuban doctor working in Italy. Photo: Guardian
Ordinary Italians don’t talk about this, but Fonseca is not a local, he’s Cuban. For a year now, he’s been working at the Santa Maria degli Ungheresi hospital in Polistena, a mountain town in southern Italy.
The 38-year-old surgeon is one of hundreds of Cuban medical workers who have arrived to address a severe shortage of doctors in Calabria, one of the poorest regions in Western Europe.
“The main principles of our training are solidarity and humanity,” Fonseca said. “We bring our skills to where they are needed, especially where the health system is struggling. Italy has good doctors and technology, but it lacks many specialists.”
Two nationwide strikes in December 2023 highlighted the many problems plaguing Italy’s health system. The government’s proposed pension cuts sparked 24-hour strikes against low pay and shift work.
Covid-19 has also been a catalyst for layoffs. More than 11,000 public health workers have quit their jobs since 2021. Doctors and nurses were frontline heroes when Italy became the first European country to be hit hard by Covid-19. But the penalties for those who violate overtime regulations during the pandemic reflect how quickly their hard work is forgotten.
Doctors are retiring early or moving to private hospitals or abroad in search of better job opportunities. In Italy’s poorer south, the public health system was neglected for years before the pandemic. Severe cuts in spending have forced dozens of hospitals to close. Mafia and corruption have also affected the health service.
Polistena has a population of nearly 10,000, but the town's hospital, one of the last functioning medical facilities in the area, serves up to 200,000 people from surrounding areas.
Fonseca (third from left) performs laparoscopic surgery at Santa Maria degli Ungheresi hospital, Polistena. Photo: Guardian
Nearly 500 Cuban medical specialists are present in Calabria. 18 are in Polistena. Their presence initially met with suspicion from Italian doctors.
"They don't like outsiders coming in," said Francesca Liotta, director of the Santa Maria degli Ungheresi hospital.
But attitudes among Italian medical staff changed after Cuban doctors learned Italian and met new colleagues. They brought life to the hospital.
“They’re always so enthusiastic, it reminds me of when I first started working,” said Liotta, who is retiring. “I always say, ‘They’re giving us oxygen.’”
After the holiday weekend, a hospital in Polistena is busy handling emergency cases due to an increase in traffic accidents. The building is old and needs modernizing. Slow internet also affects the speed of medical procedures.
“We work nonstop,” Liotta said. “One problem is solved, and another one pops up.”
Fonseca is a surgeon with 10 years of experience. He has traveled extensively around the world, including two years in Mauritania, Africa. This is his first time working in Europe.
Medical teams generate huge revenues for the Cuban government, becoming a vital economic lifeline for the country and boosting Havana’s soft power. Fonseca rejects criticism that medical workers are exploited to make money for the government.
"This is a lie," he said. "We have no obligation to do this. We are here because we want to. We also learn a lot from the experience. It's a win-win situation."
The Calabrian initiative has proven effective and is set to last until at least 2025. Eduardo Gongora, 36, works in the emergency department and has just renewed his contract for a year. "What I like most is working alongside my Calabrian colleagues. They are as enthusiastic as Cubans and very friendly," he said.
Cuban doctors are also well-received in Polistena. In their free time, they often hit the gym, hike mountains or relax in karaoke bars. “Some of us like to sing,” says Saidy Gallegos Pérez, a physical therapist who chose to stay in the city for another year.
Fonseca (right) chats with colleagues. Photo: Guardian
Roberto Occhiuto, the leader of the Calabria region, was criticized for suggesting that Cuba be called in for help. "But the test has given positive results. That's not my own words, that's the comments from Italian doctors who are working with their Cuban colleagues, and patients in Calabria," he said.
"I know Cuba has one of the best medical systems in the world. Now, the same people who criticized me are asking to recruit more Cubans," he said.
For Liotta, she believes that long-term solutions are needed. “The public health system is understaffed,” she said. “I look at the younger generation. They are well prepared, but the workload is overwhelming and they are exhausted. Cuban doctors and nurses have helped to build team spirit, but I worry about what will happen after 2025.”
Hong Hanh (According to Guardian )
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