Cuban doctors go into hiding

NAMIBIA has put the brakes on 13 Cuban doctors living in Namibia travelling to the United States, where they have sought asylum.

Government has apparently not allowed these doctors to travel to America with special travel documents issued to people without passports by the American Embassy, which allows them to enter the USA without regular travel documents. As a result, the constitutionality of a long-running co-operation agreement Namibia has with Cuba on healthcare may soon be challenged in the High Court.The 13 Cuban doctors applied to go to the United States through a humanitarian programme offered by that country.While sources have indicated that 11 of the 13 doctors who applied to go and live in America have already been given the green light, the doctors remain in Namibia because their travel documents are held by the Cuban embassy.The 11 doctors appear to be in hiding while in Namibia, as their contracts here have expired and they therefore no longer have work permits to be employed in Namibia.Now the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) is preparing to file an application challenging certain clauses of the Namibian-Cuban agreement.As part of the agreement, which has existed since 1991, Cuban doctors come to Namibia on two-year contracts, and are often stationed in rural areas where there is a shortage of medical staff.SECRET DOCUMENT Although the document that sets out the terms and conditions of their stay has not been made public, it has recently come to light that it may contain stipulations which infringe on these doctors’ basic human rights.Passports have to be handed in to the Cuban Embassy upon their arrival in Namibia, and are only handed back upon their return to Cuba.They are apparently also barred from getting married here in order to prevent them from gaining Namibian citizenship, and are discouraged from becoming friendly with local people.The US humanitarian programme is open to anyone from countries regarded as having bad human rights track records and who already have families living in America, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy, Eric Benjaminson told The Namibian yesterday.”It must be understood that this is a worldwide parole programme.Our intent is not to undermine the programme between Cuba and Namibia, which we think has had a very positive impact in Namibia.These doctors are doing very good things, they go where no one else will go,” Benjaminson said.The Second Secretary in the Cuban Embassy, Evelio Sanchez, was reluctant to discuss the contents of its agreement with Namibia, referring The Namibian to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”The conditions which cover the activities of these people here are all covered in that document [bilateral Cuban-Namibian agreement].They come to Namibia under this agreement and are expected to return to their country of origin after their term expires,” he told The Namibian.”There is an unfortunate situation that has presented itself now with these medical personnel, but it’s up to the Namibian Government to come up with an answer to your queries.It’s quite a delicate issue for an embassy to reply to,” Sanchez said.The Namibian has further learnt that one Cuban doctor who applied for the programme in America last year had been successful, although she was forced to spend about 24 hours in a Namibian holding cell.She was finally allowed to leave after no grounds were found to hold her, the source said, and only after intervention from the American Ambassador.COURT BECKONS LAC Director Norman Tjombe confirmed over the weekend that the organisation was taking up the case on behalf of three of the affected Cuban doctors, and said that an application would be filed with the High Court this week still.”If this agreement prohibits them from travelling, from making acquaintances, then we will challenge it,” Tjombe said.Should the case go to court, the agreement between the two governments would have to be made public.The Namibian has tried unsuccessfully to gain comment from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since last Wednesday.Neither the Minister, nor the Permanent Secretary or the latter’s deputy were available to comment on the issue, their secretaries have told The Namibian.Messages have been left with the PS, the Deputy PS and the Acting PS’s offices, but have not been replied to.As a result, the constitutionality of a long-running co-operation agreement Namibia has with Cuba on healthcare may soon be challenged in the High Court.The 13 Cuban doctors applied to go to the United States through a humanitarian programme offered by that country.While sources have indicated that 11 of the 13 doctors who applied to go and live in America have already been given the green light, the doctors remain in Namibia because their travel documents are held by the Cuban embassy.The 11 doctors appear to be in hiding while in Namibia, as their contracts here have expired and they therefore no longer have work permits to be employed in Namibia. Now the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) is preparing to file an application challenging certain clauses of the Namibian-Cuban agreement.As part of the agreement, which has existed since 1991, Cuban doctors come to Namibia on two-year contracts, and are often stationed in rural areas where there is a shortage of medical staff.SECRET DOCUMENT Although the document that sets out the terms and conditions of their stay has not been made public, it has recently come to light that it may contain stipulations which infringe on these doctors’ basic human rights.Passports have to be handed in to the Cuban Embassy upon their arrival in Namibia, and are only handed back upon their return to Cuba.They are apparently also barred from getting married here in order to prevent them from gaining Namibian citizenship, and are discouraged from becoming friendly with local people.The US humanitarian programme is open to anyone from countries regarded as having bad human rights track records and who already have families living in America, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy, Eric Benjaminson told The Namibian yesterday.”It must be understood that this is a worldwide parole programme.Our intent is not to undermine the programme between Cuba and Namibia, which we think has had a very positive impact in Namibia.These doctors are doing very good things, they go where no one else will go,” Benjaminson said.The Second Secretary in the Cuban Embassy, Evelio Sanchez, was reluctant to discuss the contents of its agreement with Namibia, referring The Namibian to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”The conditions which cover the activities of these people here are all covered in that document [bilateral Cuban-Namibian agreement].They come to Namibia under this agreement and are expected to return to their country of origin after their term expires,” he told The Namibian. “There is an unfortunate situation that has presented itself now with these medical personnel, but it’s up to the Namibian Government to come up with an answer to your queries.It’s quite a delicate issue for an embassy to reply to,” Sanchez said.The Namibian has further learnt that one Cuban doctor who applied for the programme in America last year had been successful, although she was forced to spend about 24 hours in a Namibian holding cell.She was finally allowed to leave after no grounds were found to hold her, the source said, and only after intervention from the American Ambassador. COURT BECKONS LAC Director Norman Tjombe confirmed over the weekend that the organisation was taking up the case on behalf of three of the affected Cuban doctors, and said that an application would be filed with the High Court this week still.”If this agreement prohibits them from travelling, from making acquaintances, then we will challenge it,” Tjombe said.Should the case go to court, the agreement between the two governments would have to be made public.The Namibian has tried unsuccessfully to gain comment from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since last Wednesday.Neither the Minister, nor the Permanent Secretary or the latter’s deputy were available to comment on the issue, their secretaries have told The Namibian.Messages have been left with the PS, the Deputy PS and the Acting PS’s offices, but have not been replied to.