Cuban doctors have 'no regrets' in leaving their home country

South Florida doctors reflect on their escape from Cuba in the early 2000s and the difficult journey it took to get to where they are today.

In the following article, pseudonyms will be used to protect the identities of the doctors.

They were kids in the late 20th century, excelling in the subjects of biology and other sciences and simply pursuing their passion to help others. Under the Cuban socialist regime, it was obvious that these kids weren’t driven by the image of wealth and reputation ー they really wanted to become doctors.

So, they did.

However, by the early 2000s, not all of them ended up continuing their medical practices in Cuba. Life in the Caribbean country, even as a doctor, was one of struggle for several of the inhabitants. Many times, Cuban citizens have looked outwards for the opportunity to escape from their country and its socialist government. They desired to leave such a place that not only had prominent economic and political issues but also limitations on their freedom of speech.

Dr. Samuel, a doctor who had escaped from Cuba in the early 2000s, explains that he particularly desired to leave his home country because of the financial difficulties and political corruption there.

He says, “My professors were going to the hospitals riding bicycles and having a lot of financial difficulties...so that was the first thing that caught my attention. The other thing is...during medical school, we had a lot of push to become part of the Socialist Party. If you didn’t join, you ended up having difficulties escalating into good positions and going into specializations. I didn’t want to join, and I got into some troubles for that. I was foreseeing some difficulties in the future…”

So, Dr. Samuel eventually followed up on his desire to leave his homeland, initially joining his sister in Ecuador and then arriving to the US in 2006. He currently works as a doctor in South Florida. The transition to getting to where he is today wasn’t so easy, though. A couple of other South Florida-based doctors, similar to Dr. Samuel, elaborate on how tough of a journey it was to jump from being a Cuban doctor to starting a new American life in the early 2000s.

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Taking the Chance

For Dr. Fila, leaving Cuba meant leaving his family, his children, and everything that he knew, but it was worth the risk. He wanted to live in a place where him and his two young boys could freely speak their minds and not struggle so much with finances either. In Cuba, it was difficult for him to fend for himself and his family with his low monthly salary of around $20. He expresses how even the prostitutes there were living “way way way better” than doctors like him. In his eyes, Dr. Fila’s only option was to escape his homeland.

Next thing he knew, he’s boarding a large boat in the middle of a dark, silent night, along with his wife, his 7-year-old son, his other 4-year-old kid, and other Cubans who are also looking to reach the United States. The waves are harsh, and they clash relentlessly against the side of the standing watercraft. It takes almost an hour to get everyone on board.

At last, they take off from the southern coast of Cuba for a 38-hour trip toward Cancún, Mexico that stretches over hundreds of miles of sea. Dr. Fila cannot see anything inside the boat for a while. Everything must remain pitch black until they enter international waters. But soon enough, the lights turn on for the first time, and it’s possible for Dr. Fila to clearly see everyone else in the boat and the exact size of the watercraft. It’s “really packed,” but the boat seems as big as he wished it was. His heart eases, as he had previously assured his wife that they wouldn’t dare to attempt escape if it meant putting their kids’ lives in danger on a smaller vehicle.

Once the lights turn on, though, it’s not long before everyone starts vomiting. His own boys start vomiting. Dr. Fila and seven other doctors onboard decide to take action, injecting their travel companions with medication. They continue to tend to the ill until the end of their long trip.

When they finally arrive in Cancún, Mexico, another stone is lifted off of Dr. Fila’s chest ー he and his family are no longer walking on Cuban grounds.

Still, their destination is the United States. The family proceeds with their travel arrangements that would get them to the border between Mexico and Texas. It takes a few days.

Upon arriving at the border, they ask for asylum, and the American government later grants it to them. Dr. Fila recalls the very moment he realizes he was free when entering the United States:

It’s been 15 years since Dr. Fila started his new life in the United States. He’s now a urologist, although he never really “dreamed” of becoming a doctor in the US.

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United States = Not the Initial Destination

In many cases, Cuban immigrants have rather chosen to escape to other countries before ever thinking about stepping foot on American soil. Particularly, though, a fraction of this group are actually doctors who have taken advantage of humanitarian mission opportunities. These doctors would accept the Cuban government’s request to continue their medical practices elsewhere, such as Central America, South America, and even regions on the other side of the world. Then, they’d leave Cuba for good.

One of these doctors is Dr. Remy. In the year 2000, he leaves Cuba to go on a humanitarian mission to Haiti, and little does he know that being there would mean “seeing different things.” After all, he was always taught that his country was the “only thing standing.” However, as he resides in Haiti for around a year, Dr. Remy finally comes to the decision that he’s going to leave Cuba. He’s going to cross the border to the Dominican Republic and start a new life.

So, Dr. Remy walks to Haiti’s neighboring country, the Dominican Republic, with nothing but his backpack. He doesn’t have any connections there, and he’s essentially homeless. He’s never even told his family about his escape yet. For a month and a half, Dr. Remy lives in the streets and sleeps in a park.

“At the beginning, it was very, very difficult,” Dr. Remy explains. “You know, many times you question yourself, like ‘Did I do the right thing?’ or ‘Why am I homeless?’ … I’m a doctor and I’m sleeping under a tree… It’s difficult, but if you keep a positive mind and you gotta do what you gotta do, life will be okay.”

Fortunately, Dr. Remy finds a job at a local tire shop after several weeks and eventually works his way up to become a medical advisor in the country. By his eighth year in the Dominican Republic, he’s become much more financially stable. He has a girlfriend, too. That’s his last year in the country.

Once Dr. Remy hears some news from his family in the US about an opportunity to start another life there, he takes it without a second thought. He applies for a visa as a former Cuban doctor, receives the visa in two months, and departs for South Florida with his girlfriend. After a couple of years, Dr. Remy is able to achieve a US doctor status, and he gets married there as well.

Today, he has now been in the US for ten years. He says that perhaps one day he’ll consider returning to the Dominican Republic for a visit but not so much Cuba.

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Becoming a US Doctor

The journey from Cuba to the US is hard, but some may say that the transition from being a Cuban doctor to becoming a US doctor is even harder. Cuban doctors who immigrate to the United States don’t always intend to become doctors once they arrive there because of how difficult the process can be. Some, like Dr. Fila, are okay with getting whatever job, while others may rather become nurses and medical assistants. Becoming a certified US doctor takes a lot of time and energy, especially if there are other important priorities such as money or family.

Dr. Iggy, another South Florida-based doctor who had left Cuba thirteen years ago, describes his beginnings in the US as "very hard.” While he waited three to four months for a work permit, he had to find some sort of way to make money. He told himself that he wasn’t going to be “sitting at home” without any income to provide himself with. Fortunately, he had already had some supportive connections in South Florida and secured his first job as a labor worker at his friend’s construction business.

Once he received his work permit, though, Dr. Iggy became more financially secure and decided to rent out his own apartment. He took on his second job as a full-time driver for a flower company. He also applied for a medical assistant license, hoping to work in a hospital or health facility again. After successfully earning this license, Dr. Iggy was able to eventually land a third job as a monitor technician in a hospital. He stayed with this job for a few years until he got into residency, which is a training for medical graduates to become doctors in a specialized area of medicine.

The path towards getting residency was a challenging task, however. Dr. Iggy came to the United States not knowing a word of English, and that was the language he would most definitely have to master if he wanted to become a US doctor. He describes how much of a difficult and lengthy process it was to study for the USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Examination) before applying for residency.

It was all worth the effort in the end. Dr. Iggy took the exam, and he received a really good score. He got numerous residency interviews around the country, ones in New York, Cincinnati, Chicago…

In 2015, he graduated from his residency in South Florida. Dr. Iggy became a family medicine doctor, and now he’s currently working as a director that oversees other doctors. Despite the challenges that he has faced, starting a new life as a US doctor was “one of the best decisions” that he’s ever made.

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Reflecting Back on the Journey

These Cuban doctors that I had interviewed with have “no regrets” in leaving their home country. Dr. Lilo, another Cuban doctor based in South Florida, agrees with Dr. Iggy that escaping from his homeland was the “best decision” in his life. He states that it's worth looking "outside" when all you know is your own country.

On the other hand, Dr. Lilo points out that there’s often a price to pay if someone wants to leave his or her country. When he embarked on his journey to the United States, he knew that he would be leaving his family and that he wouldn’t be able to return to Cuba to see them (until at least eight years pass by from the time he left). Unfortunately, while he built a life for himself in the US, Dr. Lilo realized that there was no possibility to ever see his parents again.

Dr. Lilo says, “My dad passed away. I couldn’t go to see him. My mom passed away… I couldn’t go back to Cuba for almost eight years.”

Clearly, it’s a tough personal decision for someone to choose whether or not he or she wants to establish another life in a new land. It's an especially difficult decision if the desired destination is the US. These days, it has become even harder to get access to the states as an immigrant.

Nevertheless, Cuban doctor Dr. Yue realizes this difficulty, but he still encourages for his Cuban counterparts to "leave the country" if they have the rare opportunity to do so. He doesn't see any "hope" for the near future of his homeland, as things aren't so good right now.

It's now been over 25 years since Dr. Yue left Cuba to live in South Africa and 13 years since he arrived in the US. He has "no regrets."