The US State Department took steps to revoke visas and impose restrictions on several Brazilian government officials and former Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) officials, and their family members for their part in Cuba’s medical programme which saw thousands of its medical professionals working overseas, an August 13 statement from the US State Department said.

It revoked the visas of two former Brazilian ministry of health officials Mozart Julio Tabosa Sales and Alberto Kleiman. They both worked in Brazil’s Ministry of Health during the Mais Médicos programme and played a role in planning and implementing it, the US State Department said.

In March, US president Donald Trump threatened to revoke the visas of Caribbean government officials involved with the programme.