Brazil

Executive summary

Cuba's medical presence in Brazil spanned from 1992 through the "Mais Médicos" program's collapse in 2018, when President Bolsonaro's demands for full salary payment and family reunification prompted Havana to unilaterally terminate the accord, rendering the mission inactive since. Official Cuban figures citing 20,713 cumulative participants show inconsistencies against independent tallies, with brigade numbers fluctuating from 12,085 in 2015 to 8,596 by 2018. Documented labor violations include passport retention, mandatory residence assignments, movement restrictions, curfews, and prohibited fraternization with nationals—amounting to systemic forced labor conditions. Political instrumentalization is confirmed: Cuban diplomats orchestrated the scheme through secret 2012 negotiations, bypassing Brazil's Congress via PAHO mediation. Doctors became currency in a state-run labor export system. Their passports were confiscated; their salaries, largely confiscated too.

Mission data

Research profile