The Cuban doctor Alejandro Chong, head of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the William Soler Pediatric Hospital in Havana, earns more money from a food stand than from his job leading a service dedicated to caring for critically ill children.
Her story was revealed this Sunday by 60 Minutes of the American network CBS News, in a report conducted in Cuba that collected testimonies from doctors forced to seek additional income while facing shortages of medication, equipment, and hospital supplies.
Chong's case highlights the contradiction faced by professionals with years of training and crucial responsibilities for their patients' lives, yet whose salaries do not enable them to meet their basic needs.
He is not the only doctor in the hospital who needs another job. Lórien Rodríguez, a second-year Pediatric Surgery resident, also works as a radio host to support herself financially.
Meanwhile, the young woman explained to CBS that the lack of staff and resources increasingly complicates medical care.
According to their testimony, professionals must continuously inform families that they cannot provide certain treatments due to a lack of necessary resources.
The difficulties include t...