US sanctions on Cuban medical service firm threaten health systems in 56 nations

The United States placed Cuba’s state-run medical-services enterprise Csmc and top health ministry officials, including Jose Angel Portal Miranda, under sanctions, alleging human-trafficking and forced-labour violations. The sanctions freeze Csmc’s U.S. assets and prohibit American entities from dealing with the firm, effectively cutting off the flow of funds that pay Cuban doctors deployed to 56 countries. Already, banks in Italy have blocked Csmc accounts, jeopardising the salaries of about 500 Cuban physicians in Calabria and threatening the closure of entire departments.

Similar pressures have forced Paraguay and Guatemala to suspend Cuban medical programs, while Caribbean states such as Jamaica, the Bahamas and Saint Lucia scramble for work-arounds through regional health bodies. African partners like Angola and Mozambique are also seeking special licences to keep Cuban health workers on the ground. If the sanctions persist, millions could lose primary care, with potential spikes in infant and maternal mortality and a resurgence of untreated diseases.