KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaican government is renegotiating its medical cooperation programme with Cuba even as the United States ramped up pressure on Caribbean countries to end their relationship with Havana.
Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton told the Jamaica Gleaner newspaper that while the previous memorandum of understanding (MOU) has expired, nearly 300 Cuban doctors and specialists continue to serve under existing contracts.
“It’s still in effect. We still have the Cuban workers here. There is a negotiation, though, that is taking place re the current agreement; the old one has expired, and some conversations have been taking place, and that process is ongoing, lengthy and ongoing,” he told the newspaper.
While he confirmed that the new MOU has now been signed, outstanding requests from Jamaica could jeopardise a final deal, even as he declined to disclose the specific requirements being sought.
“But we are waiting and so the programme continues – the Cuban Eye Care Programme, the Cubans in hospitals and health centres that are doing work.”
Jamaica’s medical cooperation with Cuba dates back more than 50 years and has become a pillar of the public health system. In a March 2021 statement, Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith said the programme remains “vital”, noting that a review had begun before international scrutiny intensified.
Earlier this month, the United States said it is committed to holding accountable Cuban regime officials, foreign government officials, and others for facilitating forced labour in Cuba’s medical missions.
“By participating in these programmes, despite known human rights abuses, foreign governments become complicit in the regime’s tactics. Their actions directly contribute to the abuses of Cuban workers.
“There are alternative methods available for Caribbean nations to recruit foreign medical workers and ethically meet the healthcare needs of their people. The United States calls on all governments and peoples to reject forced labour schemes and join us in demanding accountability and respect for human rights.”
St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday says his new government will begin a three-year phase-out of the reliance on Cuban district medical officers, as he outlined a new vision for the health sector in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Friday did not indicate whether the phasing-out project is linked to the position Washington outlined for regional governments to end their involvement in the Cuban health brigade programme.
Earlier this month, St. Lucia Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre told the second World Congress on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities meeting in Castries that the US had called on St. Lucia to stop sending its nationals to study medicine in Cuba.
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