Cuba will impose travel restrictions on doctors to combat 'brain drain' to U.S.

HAVANA, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The Cuban government announced it is reinstating a travel permit requirement on doctors in an effort to stem the tide of doctors moving to the United States.

Cuban doctors will need to get the permission of the government's Health Ministry to leave the country -- a major reversal of Cuba's 2013 policy of unrestricted travel for citizens.

Cuba said the U.S. government's 2006 Parole Program for Cuban Medical Professionals, which allows for Cuban health professionals working in a third country to defect to the United States, was created with an eye "toward damaging our country's international medical cooperation programs, and depriving Cuba and beneficiary countries of these vital, much-needed human resources," the Cuban government said in a statement.

The travel restriction will begin on Monday. The Cuban government said at least 500,000 of the country's 5 million workers are medical professionals.

"This does not mean that specialist doctors can not travel or reside abroad, but rather that the date of their departure will be analyzed, taking into account the replacement of each professional, to allow for organization of the workforce to guarantee accessibility, quality, continuity and stability in the functioning of health care services," the Cuban government said.

The Cuban government further accuses the U.S. government of encouraging dangerous migration to the United States through its policies.

"It must be recalled that the United States government has historically used its migratory policy as a weapon against the revolution, and has, for political reasons, encouraged emigration from Cuba, causing loss of human life, hijackings of boats and aircraft, the commission of violent criminal acts, the occurrence of migratory crises, and the theft of talent," the Cuban government said.

The United States and Cuba began negotiations to normalize relations, which could see the end of an embargo first imposed on Cuba in 1960. Both countries recently exchanged ambassadors and opened embassies in Havana and Washington, D.C.