The US ELAM Alumni Association has made public a letter addressed to the United States government expressing its “urgent opposition” to the economic blockade against Cuba, the tightening of sanctions, and any threat of military action against the island.
In the document, signed by U.S. physicians trained at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) in Havana, the medical professionals state that Cuba provided them with a free educational opportunity at a time when many of them came from low-income communities and groups historically excluded from access to medical education in the United States.
The signatories argue that the economic measures imposed on Cuba have had serious consequences for the population. They cite reports indicating an increase in infant mortality between 2018 and 2025, as well as shortages of essential medicines and difficulties affecting the operation of Cuba’s healthcare system.
According to the letter, energy and economic restrictions have disrupted fuel supplies, leading to canceled surgeries, interruptions in hospital services, and challenges in providing care to patients, including newborns.
The physicians contend that these consequences represent a human cost that cannot be ignored and maintain that the sanctions have a direct impact on public health.
The signatories emphasize that they gained firsthand knowledge of Cuba’s healthcare system during their years of training and call on the U.S. administration and Congress to unequivocally rule out any military option.
“As healthcare professionals, we do not choose between the suffering of our patients in the United States and that of patients in Cuba. We oppose both,” they state.
“We took an oath to do no harm. We ask the same of you,” the document concludes.