Havana, November 27 (RHC)-- Another 204 Cuban doctors arrived in Havana on Monday, taking the total number of health professionals returning from Brazil to nearly 1,500, after Cuba's recent decision to no longer participate in the More Doctors program.  The determination came after Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro demanded contract changes and questioned the skills of the island's medical professionals.

The More Doctors program could be completely eliminated, according to the Cuban Foreign Ministry's Director of Communications and Marketing, Yaira Jiménez, who reported that no one from the transition government has contacted the institution to discuss the situation of the program, launched in 2013 by the government of Dilma Rousseff. 
 
In Havana, Cuban doctors spoke of their pride and what it means to be an internationalist collaborator.  They stated their willingness to go wherever they are needed, expressing unwavering loyalty to the legacy of Fidel Castro, a global champion of free universal health care. 

All of the 8,300 Cuban doctors serving in Brazil will continue to return home over the coming weeks.  With the return of the Cuban doctors, millions of Brazilians, particularly those living in poor and remote areas, will be left without health care.