Guatemala will gradually stop renewing the Cuban medical brigade

Guatemala will progressively stop renewing the contracts of Cuban doctors working in the country under the Health Cooperation Agreement, a decision that will lead to the gradual dismantling of the medical brigade from the island.

The measure is known following the dissemination on social media of a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Minrex), the authenticity of which was confirmed by the Ministry itself to the newspaper Prensa Libre.

According to the report, the communication is addressed to the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in Guatemala and notifies that, starting in January 2026, the country will gradually stop renewing the services of Cuban medical brigades as their contracts come to an end.

"The Ministry is responsible for implementing, starting January 2026, the gradual non-renewal of services of the brigade members whose mission has reached its conclusion or will conclude according to the established timeline," the diplomatic letter states, dated January 6, 2026, and signed by Chancellor Carlos Ramiro Martínez Alvarado.

According to what was published by Prensa Libre, the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry explained that the communication was sent through the appropriate diplomatic channels and that the decision does not imply the cancellation of the Cooperation Agreement on Health between both countries, which is in effect until 2027.

Minex also specified that the specific timelines and the operational management of the process correspond to the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS), the entity that signed the agreement with Cuba. "The information regarding specific dates should be provided by the Ministry of Health, which is the entity that signed the agreement," stated the Foreign Ministry.

The presence of Cuban doctors in Guatemala dates back to 1998, when a first contingent of 19 specialists arrived in the country following the emergency caused by Hurricane Mitch. Subsequently, on November 20, 2002, both governments formally signed the Health Cooperation Agreement.

Currently, about 420 Cuban professionals are collaborating with the Guatemalan public health system, primarily in rural areas and hard-to-reach communities, according to official data cited by Prensa Libre. 45% of the staff is concentrated in the departments of Quiché, Petén, and Alta Verapaz.

Of the total number of brigadistas, 336 are doctors specializing in fields such as pediatrics, gynecology, internal medicine, epidemiology, surgery, anesthesia, and ophthalmology. The contingent also includes nursing staff, technicians, and logistical support workers.

Each brigadist receives a monthly stipend of 7,000 quetzals. However, when adding expenses for housing, basic services, medications, and airfare, the total estimated cost per person amounts to around 10,000 quetzals, according to the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance.

In December 2025, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda terminated the medical cooperation agreement with Cuba without providing a public explanation. Weeks later, in January 2026, the authorities began to replace Cuban personnel with healthcare professionals from Ghana to maintain the provision of health services.

These movements have coincided with an increase in diplomatic pressure from the United States on governments that maintain health agreements with Cuba. In July 2025, Washington announced visa restrictions for Central American officials who support these programs, considering that they involve forced labor schemes and economically benefit the Cuban state.

The announced shift now contrasts with the position taken by Guatemala in 2024, when the Government signed an agreement extending the presence of Cuban doctors in the country until 2027, in an event led by the then Minister of Health, Joaquín Barnoya, and the Cuban ambassador to Guatemala, Nazario Fernández, as reported in a previous note.

In November 2025, representatives from the Ministry of Health publicly thanked the Cuban medical brigade for 27 years of service in Guatemala, highlighting their work in national hospitals, maternal and child care centers, and rural communities. Less than two months later, the Foreign Ministry announced, via a letter published by Prensa Libre, the initiation of the progressive non-renewal process of Cuban medical services.