Related videos:
The government of Jamaica confirmed that it is renegotiating its historic medical cooperation program with Cuba amid increasing pressure from the United States, which accuses Cuban medical missions abroad of constituting forced labor and human trafficking.
The Minister of Health and Wellness, Christopher Tufton, explained that the previous memorandum of understanding governing the agreement has expired, although nearly 300 Cuban doctors and specialists continue to work on the island under existing contracts.
“Sursa este. We still have Cuban workers here,” Tufton stated to the Jamaican newspaper The Gleaner, recognizing that the negotiation process is lengthy and a new formal agreement has yet to be signed.
According to Caribbean National Weekly, the minister admitted that there are outstanding requests from Jamaica that could complicate the final signing of the new memorandum, although he refrained from providing details about what those demands would be.
Despite this, Tufton assured that medical cooperation continues to operate and mentioned specific programs such as the Ophthalmological Care initiative, in addition to the work of Cuban professionals in hospitals and health centers.
The medical cooperation between Jamaica and Cuba dates back over five decades and has become a key component of Jamaica's public health system. Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith stated in March 2025 that the program remained "vital" for the country and that it was already under review even before international scrutiny intensified.
However, the issue has become more sensitive since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, a period during which Washington has strengthened its stance against Cuban medical brigades in several Caribbean countries.
Diplomatic pressure and visa threats
The United States has gone beyond public criticism and has imposed visa restrictions on regional officials linked to the program. In 2025, for example, the Minister of Finance of Grenada, Dennis Cornwall, was singled out by Washington for his involvement in the Cuban medical cooperation scheme.
Similar pressures have also been recorded in countries such as Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The United States Embassy in Barbados recently posted a message on Facebook emphasizing that there are "alternative methods" for Caribbean countries to recruit healthcare personnel ethically, while accusing governments involved in these programs of becoming "accomplices" in labor abuses.
Stabroek News highlighted that at the end of last year, dozens of Cuban doctors returned to the island, including an orthopedic surgeon from the Kingston Public Hospital, whose sudden departure left many patients in shock.
A hospital worker, quoted by The Gleaner, described the impact of his departure as follows:
"He took the time to listen to the patients, learned the dialect to be able to understand them, and explained to them what was happening and how he would treat them… He did not mistreat people, unlike others we have here."
The controversy has sparked strong responses from various regional leaders. The Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Philip J. Pierre, recently stated that the United States pressured his country to stop sending students to Cuba to train as doctors, although Washington denied having discussed it "recently."
The Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, was also emphatic in saying that she would rather lose her U.S. visa than abandon cooperation with Cuba.
Meanwhile, Jamaica insists that the program is crucial and continues to function, although it is now clear that its future will depend not only on the country's health needs but also on the political and diplomatic tensions between Havana and Washington.
Filed under: