Honduras investigates Cuban medical missions amid complaints of irregularities in program

Honduran authorities have launched an investigation into Cuban medical brigades operating in the country, amid allegations that some personnel included in the program were not medical professionals.

The probe, announced last week, focuses on the Cuban medical mission that arrived in Honduras during the administration of former President Xiomara Castro, according to a report by the EFE news agency.

The Honduran Public Prosecutor’s Office said the investigation was opened ex officio after media reports and social media complaints suggested that individuals with professions unrelated to medicine may have been included in the program.

According to prosecutors, the complaints point to the possible inclusion of non-medical personnel such as electricians, athletes, drivers, and economists in contracts linked to Cuban medical specialists working in Honduras’ public health system.

Authorities said the investigation aims to determine whether administrative irregularities or potential crimes affecting public administration were committed.

Local media have reported that some members of the Cuban missions did not work as doctors, while in certain cases they reportedly received monthly salaries exceeding $1,600.

Cuban doctors leaving Honduras

Reports also indicated last week that 128 Cuban doctors are expected to leave Honduras after the agreement with Havana was not renewed by the new government.

The administration of President Nasry Asfura has decided not to extend the contract under which Cuban medical personnel had been working in the country for the past two years, EFE said.

“The departure of the Cuban doctors is a foreign policy decision,” said Communications Secretary José Augusto Argueta.

Deputy Health Minister Dr. Eduardo Midence said the government plans to replace the Cuban personnel with properly accredited local or foreign doctors.

“We will work to hire properly accredited Honduran or foreign doctors before the Medical College,” Midence said.

Growing scrutiny of Cuban medical missions

The investigation comes as Cuban medical missions abroad face increasing scrutiny in several countries.

According to the report, Guatemala and Antigua and Barbuda have previously ended the presence of Cuban medical brigades, while Guyana has sought to pay Cuban doctors directly rather than through the Cuban government.

Cuba’s overseas medical missions have long been criticized by human rights organizations and international bodies. United Nations experts have warned that the conditions imposed on participating doctors may constitute forced labor, noting that the program generates billions of dollars for the Cuban government while restricting the freedom of medical personnel working abroad.