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Antigua and Barbuda will welcome 120 nurses from Ghana next week to support its healthcare system, following the end of its historic medical cooperation with Cuba amidst increasing pressure from the United States government.
Health professionals will arrive in Antigua and Barbuda on January 23 to strengthen the country's healthcare system, confirmed the Director General of Communications from the Prime Minister's Office, Maurice Merchant.
Most of it will be allocated to the Celeste Bird Medical Centre, the main hospital in the territory, while others will support clinics and educational centers, reported the news agency EFE.
The hiring takes place following the cancellation of the agreement with the Cuban medical brigades, which had been a cornerstone of the local healthcare system for years.
Although the government insists that the program with Cuba “has not been officially terminated,” the departure of Cuban professionals marks a sharp turnaround in a policy that the Executive itself defended throughout 2025 in the face of accusations from Washington.
The United States has intensified its pressure in recent months on Caribbean countries that maintained health cooperation with Havana, alleging that these programs constitute schemes of "forced labor."
Several members of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), including Antigua and Barbuda, initially defended Cuban medical missions as essential to their healthcare systems, but eventually adjusted to U.S. demands.
Merchant stated that Ghanaian nurses are "highly qualified" and that their inclusion will have a positive impact, especially in light of the ongoing emigration of local healthcare staff to North America and Europe in search of better salaries.
The official acknowledged, however, that Cuban professionals have been a fundamental support of the sector for decades.
The decision comes after it was revealed in December that the government of Prime Minister Gaston Browne unexpectedly ended the medical cooperation agreement with Cuba, without providing an official explanation.
The news was then confirmed by the opposition of the United Progressive Party, which described the cancellation as a "political failure" and an "act of ingratitude," recalling key programs such as the Eye-Care Programme and the training of Antiguan students on the island.
The withdrawal of the Cuban brigades occurs within a broader context of diplomatic offensive by the administration of Donald Trump.
The State Department and Senator Marco Rubio have advocated for sanctions and visa restrictions against officials from countries that employ these services, in addition to requiring that payments be made directly to the doctors rather than to the Cuban government.
According to the NGO Prisoners Defenders, the Cuban Government retains an average of about 85% of the salaries of its medical personnel abroad.
A report from the U.S. State Department placed the island's income from the export of professional services between 6 billion and 8 billion dollars annually, accounting for over 40% of its total exports between 2018 and 2020, according to official Cuban data.
The replacement of Cuban personnel with Ghanaian nurses aims to ensure the continuity of services at a particularly sensitive time for Antigua and Barbuda, which plans to launch a National Health Insurance in 2026.
However, doubts persist about the country's ability to stably fill the void left by medical cooperation that supported its public health system for years.
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