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The Minister of Health of the Bahamas, Michael Darville, confirmed this week that negotiations with the United States Embassy regarding the situation of Cuban healthcare professionals working in the country are in their final phase, amid pressure from Washington for regional governments to end the contracting model of Cuba's medical missions.
"We are in the final discussions with the U.S. Embassy as a result of the balance of Cuban health professionals in the country," stated Darville, as reported by Eyewitness News Bahamas.
The minister took the opportunity to clarify the extent of the Cuban presence in the Bahamian healthcare system.
"I want to make it clear that there are only three Cuban doctors in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas," he stated.
He explained that the rest of the staff consists of electrocardiography, laboratory, and radiology technicians, integrated to strengthen diagnostic services and healthcare in the Family Islands.
Negotiations with Washington began in February of this year when the Bahamian government suspended the hiring of new Cuban professionals and announced direct contacts with the United States to review the functioning of the program, following allegations that the medical missions organized by Havana represent a form of forced labor.
Since then, Nassau has upheld a different approach than that adopted by other Caribbean countries: retaining Cuban professionals but hiring them directly, without the involvement of the Cuban state.
That process began to take shape in May 2025, when Bahamas announced that salaries would no longer be channeled through the Cuban government. Until then, of the 12,000 dollars a month that the country paid for each specialist, the professionals received between 990 and 1,200 dollars, while the rest was withheld by the Cuban authorities.
Subsequently, the Bahamian government formally presented its proposal to Washington and, in June of this year, Darville informed Parliament that the 35 Cuban professionals currently providing services in the country —most of whom are specialized technicians rather than clinical doctors— will have the option to sign contracts directly with the Bahamas or return to Cuba.
The decision from Nassau comes amid increasing diplomatic pressure from the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged governments in the region to terminate agreements with Cuban medical missions, viewing them as "forced labor schemes" and a form of "modern slavery."
That policy has already had consequences in several Caribbean countries. Guyana and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ended their agreements with Cuba in February 2026, while Jamaica stopped renewing them a month later, a decision that impacted 277 Cuban professionals.
According to estimates from the State Department, the Cuban regime obtains over 4.9 billion dollars annually through the export of medical services, a program that involves more than 26,000 workers distributed across 55 countries.
Darville assured that the government will continue coordinating the process with Washington before announcing a final decision.
"We are working very closely with our American partners to ensure that we align with their policy, which is that of our closest neighbor," he concluded.
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