US embassy cable - 05TEGUCIGALPA1460

C O N F I D E N T I A L TEGUCIGALPA 001460 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, ELAB, TBIO, SOCI, HO 
SUBJECT: MEDICINE MANIFESTO; CUBAN DOCTORS BRIGADE FACING 
UNCERTAIN FUTURE IN HONDURAS 
 
 
Classified By: Acting DCM Paul Tuebner; 
Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (C) (SUMMARY) The Cuban Medical Brigade (CMB) was welcomed 
into Honduras with open arms in 1998, after the devastation 
of Hurricane Mitch. However, over the past seven years that 
welcome has been worn out, according to some government 
offices and the Honduran medical community (HMC). With the 
current leftist trends in the region, there is concern by the 
Government of Honduras (GOH) that the Cuban presence in the 
country, especially in rural poverty stricken areas may not 
be  what the doctor ordered. The HMC, specifically the 
Honduran College of Medicine, feels the assistance of the CMB 
is no longer warranted or wanted. Recently, the GOH agreed 
that the Cuban doctors should leave. However, this decision 
is not set in stone. The Honduran Ministry of Health (HMH), 
the ultimate decision maker, still has not made a declaration 
as to whether the doctors will remain. (END SUMMARY) 
 
2. (C) Following Hurricane Mitch the CMB entered the country 
as part of the international relief effort. They have 
maintained and increased their presence within the country 
via a bilateral agreement with Cuba. The agreement allows 
Hondurans to study at the Latin American Medical School in 
Cuba and allows Cuban doctors to serve rural areas of 
Honduras, where Honduran doctors refuse to go. It is 
estimated that Cuban doctors have conducted over seven 
million consultations since entering the country, while over 
700 Hondurans have studied in Cuba, a majority in the medical 
field. However, this program is neither free nor cheap. It is 
estimated that annually the HMH spends 14 million lempiras to 
maintain the program. 
 
3. (C) The significant number of Cuban doctors in the country 
has caused concern for two major and very different reasons. 
First, there is a concern that, in addition to treating the 
sick, the doctors are spreading their ideology in the rural 
and poverty stricken areas of the country. It has been 
reported that part of CMB's mission is to promote the 
Cuban/communist ideology, especially to the poor masses. Wall 
Street Journal senior editorial writer , Mary Anastasia 
O'Grady called the doctors, "Fidel's foot soldiers, with the 
potential for soft indoctrination."  This is the cause of 
serious concern in the GOH, specifically with the Honduran 
Army, who feel that the Cuban presence could undermine 
government efforts in these areas. 
 
4. (C) The second concern is that the Cuban doctors are 
taking positions that would otherwise be filled by Honduras' 
estimated six thousands doctors, 40% of which are currently 
unemployed. In addition, EmbOffs have been told by the 
Honduran Public Health sources that the Cuban doctors are not 
well trained, have little or no equipment/supplies and there 
have been numerous complaints about the quality of care 
received. On the other hand, a Honduran surgeon working off 
his debt in an internship/community service project in 
Mosquitia told a ConOff that he was thankful for the Cuban 
doctors and because of them he is able to take a vacation. 
The ConOff noted that overall he was positive about the 
efforts of the Cuban doctors and commented that they are 
doing lots of good work, mostly in poor areas, where Honduran 
doctors refuse to work. These positive sentiments seem to be 
shared by a majority of the Honduran people. 
 
5. (C) The appreciation and respect for the Cuban doctors has 
made it difficult to remove them from the country. This is 
not the first attempt to have the CMB removed from the 
country. In 1999, a similar but unsuccessful attempt was 
made. According to local newspaper sources, President Maduro 
has distanced himself from the issue by saying the decision 
whether the CMB remain in Honduras is solely up to the HMH. 
Palmer