US Revokes Visa of Brazilian Health Official Over Cuba Medical Program

The US government canceled the visa of Mozart Sales, Brazil’s Secretary of Specialized Health Care, alleging his involvement in the Mais Médicos program violated sanctions against Cuba. The program, launched in 2013, partnered with Cuba to supply doctors to underserved Brazilian regions. US officials claim it funneled funds to Cuba’s government while bypassing Brazilian legal requirements.

Sales, a seasoned physician and former Recife councilor, helped design the program during Dilma Rousseff’s presidency. The US accuses him and ex-official Alberto Kleiman of using the Pan-American Health Organization as a intermediary to hire Cuban doctors, sidestepping US sanctions. A State Department statement argued the scheme “enriched Cuba’s regime” and deprived Brazilians of fair wages.

The revocation is part of broader US measures against Brazil, including tariffs and sanctions targeting Supreme Court justices. Mais Médicos, relaunched in 2023 without Cuban involvement, now employs 24,700 doctors across 4,200 municipalities. Critics view the US move as politically charged amid ongoing diplomatic strains.

US-Brazil relationsvisa revocationMais MédicosCuba sanctionsMarco Rubio