Cuba has been widely praised for sending doctors to fight the West African Ebola Epidemic, which has killed more than 6,800 people.  But those doctors had to go weeks with pay, and the Cuban government had to cover their food and lodging expenses because of a relic of the Cold War – the US economic embargo on Cuba.

The US State Department had no comment, and Cuban officials had not issued a statement.  But the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said it had to request special licenses from the US Treasury Department to transfer money to the doctors in Africa, a process that took several weeks.

“The fact that they’re Cubans greatly limited the funds transfers and the payment,” said Jose Luis Di Fabio, the health agency's representative for Cuba.  “It’s not that the WHO didn't want to pay, it’s that they weren't able to.”

The US embargo on Cuba affects practically all dealings with Cubans, even for banks outside America, because they depend on dollar transfers through US institutions. 

But despite the problems with the money, and the inherent danger of dealing with Ebola, one notable Cuban doctor plans to head back the mission in West Africa.

Dr. Felix Baez Sarria has been recovering in Havana after being declared Ebola-free at hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, where he was taken after contracting the virus in Sierra Leone.  Baez Sarria is going through similar post-Ebola health problems as many survivors in Africa – especially muscle weakness.  But he will be able to return to the fight after fully regaining his strength.

Cuba has sent 256 medical workers to Africa, with 165 in Sierra Leone and the rest in Guinea and Liberia.