Uruguay
Uruguay evaluates adjustments to the Cuban doctors program after U.S. observations
The Foreign Ministry is working with Public Health, ASSE and the BPS to change the payment structure of the agreement. The goal is to sustain the program and avoid sanctions linked to the U.S. report on alleged forced labor.
The Uruguayan government is analyzing changes to the scheme of the so-called Cuban medical missions after the United States included the country in a report on alleged forced labor linked to that system, according to Búsqueda.
According to that weekly publication, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating with the Ministry of Public Health, the State Health Services Administration and the Social Security Bank on an alternative that would allow the program to continue without exposing Uruguay to a possible reprisal from Washington.
The report sent by the U.S. Department of State to Congress in late August mentions 15 countries and argues that the Cuban regime benefits from its labor export program, including the medical missions. According to that document, 21 Cuban professionals took part in Uruguay so far in 2026.
Sources at the U.S. Embassy told Búsqueda that Uruguay was included for the first time in the 2026 report because payments are made directly to the Cuban embassy and, according to that diplomatic representation, there is no evidence that the doctors receive compensation for their work in Uruguayan territory.
Still according to Búsqueda, the alternative under study aims to implement direct payments to the Cuban professionals, without altering the current agreement between the two countries, in order to address the objection raised by the United States.
Government officials said in recent days that the continuity of the program is not under discussion. Presidential Secretary Alejandro Sánchez said on Sunday the 13th that the agreement allowed thousands of Uruguayans to access ophthalmological care and highlighted that result.
The program began in 2007 under an agreement between Uruguay and Cuba to provide ophthalmological care. According to data released last year by the administration of Yamandú Orsi and cited by Búsqueda, through July 2025 there had been 916,787 ophthalmological consultations, 118,029 eye surgeries and 217,885 screenings.
In 2011, the MSP, ASSE and the BPS signed an agreement under which the social security agency contributes an annual allocation of US$ 250,000 for stipends, tickets and transfers, among other expenses. The outlet also reported statements by Pardo, who said Uruguay does not pay salaries or send money to Cuba for the cooperation, but rather covers those stipends, while the remuneration corresponds to the Cuban government.
The issue has been part of bilateral exchanges since 2024, according to diplomatic sources cited by Búsqueda. Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin said this week that he had received “no official communication from the United States on this specific issue,” although he acknowledged that it is one of the matters under discussion between the two governments.
According to Búsqueda, the United States notified Uruguay’s inclusion in the report through a note sent on Friday the 4th to the Ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs. A Foreign Ministry source told the outlet that there was also a non-paper, an unofficial diplomatic communication used to set out positions.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
