- cross-posted to:
- world@quokk.au
- cross-posted to:
- world@quokk.au
Duration - 3:21
[a video about Cuba from the news collective Belly Of The Beast]
When they first arrived in Italy, some of their Italian colleagues and patients were distrustful of Cuban doctors, but they quickly realized what people all over the world know: Cuban doctors are top-notch.
Cuban medical workers have served on international cooperation missions in more than 150 countries since the 1960s. They usually work in Global South countries facing severe staffing shortages and health inequities. But since 2022, they have also been in Calabria, Italy.
During Covid, a Cuban brigade helped Italians in Lombardy, which triggered Calabria’s President Roberto Occhiuto to reach out to Cuba to bring hundreds of doctors to his region. Calabria is one of the poorest regions in Italy, and their healthcare sector has suffered greatly from staffing and other issues.
Listen to these Cuban doctors describe their experience in Italy.
“We haven’t left yet, but patients are already worried about what will happen when we do,” says Cuban surgeon Asbel Díaz. “We work from the heart. We work thinking of helping others, and we give our all every day for the Italian people.”
Don’t miss the New York premiere of From Cuba to Calabria: Medical Missions in Times of Crisis on June 4 at The People’s Forum (Paul Robeson Theater), 320 W. 37th Street, New York, NY 10018. See the full documentary before its online release and join the conversation about Cuba’s global medical missions.
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