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The government of Antigua and Barbuda unexpectedly ended its historic medical alliance with Cuba, despite having defended throughout 2025 that the departure of Cuban doctors would dismantle the national healthcare system.
The administration of Prime Minister Gaston Browne terminated the medical agreement, as Cuban professionals prepare to leave the country, marking a sharp shift in a policy that the government itself had defended for months amid increasing diplomatic pressures from the United States, reported the newspaper Antigua Observer.
Throughout 2025, Browne emerged as one of the leading Caribbean advocates for Cuban medical brigades, rejecting the accusations from the U.S. Department of State, which labeled these programs as a form of "human trafficking," the media outlet reported.
In March, the prime minister asserted that Cuban doctors were "the backbone" of the healthcare system in Antigua and Barbuda and that their withdrawal would have devastating consequences.
However, the agreement was canceled this month without the Executive providing an official explanation.
The news was not communicated by the government, but rather by the opposition of the United Progressive Party (UPP), which issued a statement expressing its “deep gratitude” to Cuban professionals and lamenting the abrupt way in which the cooperation came to an end.
The UPP framed the cancellation as a "political failure" and an "act of ingratitude," emphasizing that cooperation with Cuba enabled key programs such as the Eye-Care Programme, which benefited hundreds of citizens, and the training of Antiguan students in various disciplines—opportunities that many families would not have been able to afford.
The departure of Cuban doctors leaves a significant gap in the country's public health system, particularly in areas where local professionals are scarce.
The situation is even more delicate with the anticipated launch of a National Health Insurance in 2026, raising concerns about the continuity of services and the government's ability to quickly replace outgoing staff.
So far, the Prime Minister's Office has not responded to key questions regarding the number of doctors leaving, the timeline for their departures, the future of the affected programs, or the fate of students studying in Cuba.
However, the Government partially addressed the issue in a statement following the Council of Ministers on December 18.
The Director General of Communications, Maurice Merchant, announced a policy shift aimed at the sustainability of the healthcare system, and Minister Sir Molwyn Joseph confirmed the hiring of approximately 120 healthcare professionals, primarily nurses and some doctors from Ghana, who would be deployed in the country before the end of the year.
According to the authorities, this reinforcement will allow for an "orderly" transition following the departure of Cuban doctors and will ensure the continuity of services.
The Executive also expressed gratitude for the historic contribution of the Cuban personnel and assured that, despite the end of the program, it will maintain respectful diplomatic relations with Cuba.
The decision comes after a year of sustained pressure from the administration of Donald Trump, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging Caribbean countries to cancel or restructure Cuban medical programs.
Washington demanded that payments be made directly to the doctors, bypassing the Cuban government, and even warned of possible personal sanctions against officials who facilitated these missions.
According to the source, Antigua and Barbuda initially attempted to comply with those demands by modifying the payment schemes, but the complete termination of the program suggests that these concessions were insufficient or that the diplomatic cost was deemed unsustainable by the government.
In October, the government of Bahamas revealed some of the conditions of the new labor contract it will offer to Cuban doctors working in the archipelago, while waiting for the final approval from the United States to implement the agreement.
The announcement marks another step in the transformation of a program that has been denounced for years by Washington as a form of “forced labor” controlled by the regime in Havana.
The Trump administration has recently included Antigua and Barbuda in the so-called travel ban, aimed at “further restricting and limiting the entry of foreigners” from around thirty nations that, according to Washington, exhibit serious and persistent deficiencies in verification systems, document control, and security cooperation.
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