Improved personnel stability and an increase in the quality of services are expected in Cuba following the announcement of substantial pay raises to over 440,000 healthworkers, all of whom have received the news joyfully.

The raise, effective as of the coming month of June, rewards those physicians, nurses and dentists of higher qualifications, those who attend evening and night watches and personnel working at overseas posts.

The Government of Cuba has reaffirmed the extraordinary importance it attaches to the work of its medical teams in other countries, significant, because of their size, in Venezuela and Brazil, just to mention two of the recipient nations.

Since 1963, when Cuban medical teams began helping other nations, slightly over 130,000 Cuban physicians and nurses have worked in 103 countries, some of them, as far away as Pakistan.

In December 2013, over 46,000 Cuban medical personnel were treating millions of patients in other countries.

Most of the time, they work in remote, difficult areas, far from the cities.  Many times, the Cubans work where local medical personnel refuse to take care of patients.

For their work, Cuba will receive this year payments amounting to 8.2 billion Cuban convertible pesos.  This figure amounts this year to 64% of the income generated by the sale of services, including those of tourism.

This amount is of special relevance in the total of the Gross Domestic Income, affected by several limitations caused by the world economic crisis, the US blockade and the insufficiencies of national productivity.

Cubans will continue receiving first class medical assistance totally free of charge. The Cuban medical services have been streamlined, emphasizing full coverage and maximum quality and efficiency.

The updating of the economic model, on which the government continues to work, paves the way for the continuous improvement of services to the population.

It will allow, as conditions improve, to extend salary increases to other productive and service areas.

The Cuban workers are aware of those economic realities and are working hard to materialize further improvements in many other areas.