Cuban Doctors in Mexico Say They Have Gone More Than Two Months Without Pay
HEALTH · CUBA
Key Facts
- —The country Cuba sends doctors abroad under contracts with foreign governments, through a state agency. Mexico has hosted Cuban medical brigades since 2020, reported at more than 3,000 doctors in March 2026.
- —What happened On 4 October 2026, Diario de Cuba reported that three doctors on the Mexico mission said they had gone more than two months without pay.
- —The numbers Since March 2026 each doctor receives 44,716.40 Mexican pesos a month (about US$2,456) in two deposits. Diario de Cuba put the arrears near US$4,000 per doctor.
- —What it means for you No cuts to patient care have been reported. For governments that hire Cuban doctors, US sanctions on Cuba’s medical export agency are complicating payments.
- —Still open Why both payment channels failed, how many doctors are affected and when the rest arrives. IMSS-Bienestar and Cuba’s embassy had not commented publicly by Sunday evening.
Cuban doctors in Mexico say their pay is more than two months late, according to the independent Cuban news site Diario de Cuba. Three members of the Cuban medical mission spoke to the outlet, and one said neither of the two monthly deposits had arrived.
Mission managers blamed “administrative changes,” and part of the money has since been paid, the outlet reported. The claims come from three doctors and have not been independently confirmed by Mexican or Cuban authorities.
What the Doctors Told Diario de Cuba
“We have gone more than two months without pay or any answer, only misinformation,” one doctor told reporter Annarella Grimal. The doctors were not named.
The same doctor said neither the Banjercito account nor the Banco del Bienestar account had been paid. “We are forbidden to speak or complain about anything,” the doctor added.
The Cuban news site CiberCuba carried the same account later on Sunday. It relied on the Diario de Cuba interviews, so it is not a separate confirmation.
How the Pay Reaches the Doctors
Since March, Cuban doctors in Mexico receive 44,716.40 Mexican pesos a month (about US$2,456 at 18.21 pesos per dollar, 2 October). The money arrives in two parts, a living allowance and a housing and transport allowance.
The first arrives around the 18th via an account of the Comercializadora de Servicios Médicos Cubanos (CSMC), Cuba’s state medical export company. The second arrives around the 5th through Banco del Bienestar, Mexico’s state welfare bank.
Part of the money passes through Banjercito, the Mexican armed forces bank. Diario de Cuba estimated the total owed at about US$4,000 per doctor.
Mission Cites Administrative Changes, Partial Payments Begin
An internal message from mission managers, seen by Diario de Cuba, said the welfare allowance was delayed “due to administrative changes.” It gave no date but promised payment as soon as possible.
A week later, half of the amount owed was deposited, the outlet reported. Shortly before publication, Banco del Bienestar began paying part of the money into the doctors’ accounts.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said in February that payments go directly to the doctors, Diario de Cuba recalled. “They are paid what they should be paid,” she said then.
Sanctions and Wage Delays Form the Backdrop
On 23 July Washington sanctioned the CSMC, Cuba’s medical cooperation unit and Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda, citing forced labour. The Rio Times covered that decision in US Sanctions Cuba’s Health Minister Over Doctors Sent Abroad.
Other host countries are adjusting. Uruguay is weighing paying its Cuban doctors directly, as reported in Uruguay Weighs Paying Cuban Doctors Directly After US Report Names It.
Mexican staff have faced delays too. In August more than 9,000 IMSS-Bienestar workers in México State stopped work over an unpaid fortnight, La Jornada reported on 17 August.
IMSS-Bienestar is the federal health system for people without social security. It has used Cuban specialists in remote hospitals since 2022, according to IMSS.
What Is Not Yet Known
It is unclear how many of the mission’s doctors were affected, or whether the delay links to the US sanctions. Mexico has not published the bilateral agreement that governs the payments.
Neither IMSS-Bienestar, Cuba’s embassy in Mexico nor Cuba’s Health Ministry had commented publicly by Sunday evening. The date for paying the remaining arrears is also not known.
Sources: Diario de Cuba (4 October 2026); CiberCuba (4 October 2026); La Jornada (17 August 2026); El Imparcial (13 March 2026); IMSS (31 January 2023).
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error