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As the arrival date of 100 specialised doctors from Cuba edges closer, questions abound about their fields of specialty, their stations of duty and remuneration.
Some leaders are also questioning preparedness of counties to receive the Cuban doctors. Even as the Senate’s Health Committee visits Cuba this week to make final touches on the deal, a member, Nyamira Senator Okong’o O’Mogeni, questioned the infrastructure the Cubans will use once they land.
Despite the lingering questions, sources in Cuba confirm that the doctors are now ready, waiting to be dispatched. Many doctors opt to participate in the missions as they are an upgrade from the Sh6,000 monthly salary they receive in Cuba. More than 37,000 Cuban nationals are currently working in 77 countries in overseas medical missions. They earn their country close to Sh800 billion annually.
Not rosy affair
The exchange has however not been rosy for all the doctors involved. Last year, at least 150 Cuban doctors working in Brazil filed lawsuits to challenge the arrangement. In what they termed a form of slave trade, the doctors went to court demanding to be treated as independent contractors, not agents of the Cuban state.
It all started when the three-year contract given to Dr Anis Deli Grana de Carvalho ended. She had fallen in love with a Brazilian man, and wanted to stay. Cuba wanted her back.
The doctor shared her frustration with a Brazilian clergy man who connected her with a lawyer. She sued in a bid to work as an independent contractor. Other doctors followed suit. Most lost, some won. The Brazilian government has appealed.
It is not clear what the Cuban doctors will be paid in Kenya, or where they will be placed.
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