6. Cuban Physicians Cannot Show Qualifications to Practice Medicine

A recent Fox News report found that Cuban physicians are having a difficult time obtaining accreditation so they can practice medicine in the United States.

For years, Cuba has sent its physicians on goodwill missions abroad to provide free health care in poor countries.  In 2006, the United States created a special visa program, the Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program, specifically for these physicians to defect from Cuba.  Over 1,500 Cuban physicians, dentists and other medical professionals have used these visas. 

However, many of these Cuban physicians are facing the problem of obtaining their educational transcripts and degrees in order to demonstrate their qualifications for a US visa.  Cuba, which pays for its doctors’ education, considers those who defect to the US to be traitors, and has therefore refused to release the physicians’ educational transcripts.  According to the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), the US organization which must approve foreign physicians’ qualifications, at least 20 Cuban physicians have asked for waivers because of problems obtaining documents.

Due to the United States’ “wet-foot, dry-foot” policy, any Cuban who makes it to American shores can remain in the country.  This means that the Cuban physicians can remain in the US even if they do not practice medicine.  However, this leaves the physicians without a way to support themselves, since they cannot practice medicine without providing their medical qualifications to the ECFMG and passing all three parts of the US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE).

ECFMG has tried to find ways to help defecting Cuban physicians demonstrate their medical qualifications.  Physicians can submit affidavits from other doctors who attended medical school with them or request a waiver from the commission's executive board.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2011/03/26/cuban-doctors-accepted-face-problems-practicing-medicine/#

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