Cuba accuses Jamaica of caving to Trump, 277 doctors will leave

HAVANA--Cuba has announced it will withdraw the 277 medical professionals currently serving in Jamaica, accusing the Jamaican government of giving in to pressure from the administration of Donald Trump to end a decades-old health cooperation program between the two Caribbean nations.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Havana said Jamaica’s decision to terminate the long-standing agreement effectively aligned with Washington’s demands regarding Cuba’s overseas medical missions.

“With this action, the Government of Jamaica yields to the pressures of the Government of the United States, which is not concerned about the health needs of Caribbean brothers,” the Cuban government said in a message posted by its embassy in Kingston.

The Cuban authorities said that as a result of Jamaica’s decision, Havana would proceed with the return of the Cuban Medical Brigade that has been working across Jamaica’s public healthcare system.

The program, which began in 1976, has been a significant source of doctors, nurses and specialists for Jamaica, particularly in underserved communities and specialised medical services such as eye care.

Cuba said the Jamaican government informed its embassy on March 4 of what it described as a unilateral decision to end the cooperation agreement that had linked both countries’ health systems for decades.

The Cuban government said it “deeply regrets” the development, arguing that the decision disregards a long history of collaboration that has provided important medical support to Jamaica’s healthcare system.

At the time the agreement ended, the Cuban Medical Brigade in Jamaica consisted of 277 professionals deployed across hospitals and public health facilities. Cuban authorities also noted that more than 4,700 Cuban medical collaborators have served in Jamaica over the past three decades alone.

Cuba maintained that its departing medical professionals would leave with a sense of accomplishment after years of service. According to the statement, the doctors and healthcare workers will return home “with the satisfaction of a duty fulfilled and the permanent willingness to assist wherever their spirit of solidarity is required.”

However, Jamaican officials have rejected suggestions that the decision was influenced by Washington.

Speaking in Parliament, Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith said the arrangement ended after both countries failed to reach agreement on the terms of a new cooperation framework.

Responding to questions from Opposition lawmaker Dr. Alfred Dawes during a meeting of Parliament’s Standing Finance Committee, Johnson Smith said negotiations had been underway after the previous agreement expired in February 2023.

According to the minister, the talks ultimately collapsed over unresolved issues related to how Cuban medical personnel would be compensated.

“It’s regrettable that we were unable to reach agreement on the most fundamental point — the manner of payment,” Johnson Smith told lawmakers.

She also firmly denied that the United States had played any role in Jamaica’s decision.

Nonetheless, Cuba continues to insist that geopolitical pressure from Washington, particularly during the Trump administration’s campaign against Cuba’s overseas medical missions, influenced the outcome.

The end of the program represents a significant shift in Jamaica’s healthcare staffing arrangements, as Cuban medical professionals have long helped fill gaps in the country’s public health system.

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