Tufton, Johnson Smith hail Cuban medical missions while conducting review amid US concerns

Jamaica's health and foreign affairs ministers have indicated that discussions are currently being held with both the United States (US) and Cuba as a review of the longstanding Cuban medical missions to the island is conducted.

“We have had meetings with the Cuban and US governments and we are reviewing the question of Cuban medical missions to Jamaica,” Dr Christopher Tufton, minister of health and wellness, told The Gleaner yesterday.

“We value the Cuban contribution to our health sector. It has been a long and cherished relationship and we will do everything to continue this relationship,” he said.

Tufton's comments comments came shortly before a release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade in which Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith sought to provide assurances regarding "Jamaica’s longstanding Cuban medical cooperation programme in light of concerns expressed in the public domain".

In the foreign affairs ministry's release, it stated that Johnson Smith affirmed that Jamaica’s bilateral medical cooperation with Cuba has been in place for more than five decades and remains "a vital pillar of Jamaica’s healthcare system, providing essential services in various public health facilities".

The ministers' comments follow a statement issued last month by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who indicated that the US would apply visa restrictions on government representatives whose countries utilise Cuban labour.

However Johnson Smith said a review of the Cuban programme had been initiated well before international scrutiny had commenced. She also reiterated the country’s commitment to ethical labour practices and expressed confidence that while improvements would be made to the administration of the programme, it could not be found to involve human trafficking.

“Jamaica’s non-adversarial handling of this matter reflects not only our practice of diplomacy, but the strength of our bilateral relationships with both Cuba and the United States. Our structured process of review and engagement is progressing well, and we remain confident in the integrity of this programme. We continue to engage diplomatically, including discussions with the Cuban foreign minister, the current head of the US Embassy and of course as between CARICOM foreign ministers, to exchange perspectives and ensure the best understanding and outcomes of this matter,” said Johnson Smith.

Jamaica’s medical cooperation programme with Cuba has been in place since 1976 and has operated under memoranda of understanding (MOUs) that have been upheld by successive administrations.

Johnson Smith also sought to clarify that, as the arrangements are being reviewed for renewal, the Government has taken the opportunity to review and improve administrative processes – an initiative she said was already underway as part of Jamaica’s continuous commitment to best practices and good governance.

“Given the MOU’s expiration last year, we had already begun a review process before international concerns were raised. While we have identified a few areas for alignment with our own overseas labour programmes, we are confident that the Cuban programme is a legitimate bilateral cooperation programme, not an example of trafficking,” she asserted.

The foreign minister said the Government remained committed to diplomacy as a means of strengthening bilateral and regional relationships. She argued that this approach has generally led to constructive engagement and productive outcomes on challenging issues.

In the meantime, in speaking with The Gleaner, Tufton refused to pinpoint any specific issues discussed with the US government, saying that it would not be wise to disclose the discussions.

Tufton said that during the discussions the US government's concerns were aired and are being processed.

The health minister said the foreign affairs ministry and the health ministry are leading the discussions between Jamaica and Cuba and Jamaica and the US.

Cuban medical missions, which provide doctors, nurses and other medical staff as well as medical facilities, have been viewed locally as critical to healthcare systems in Jamaica.

In his February 254 statement, posted on the US Department of State's website, Rubio said the expanded visa restriction policy would apply to current or former Cuban government officials, and other individuals, including foreign government officials, who are believed to be responsible for, or involved in, the Cuban labour export programme, particularly Cuba’s overseas medical missions.

“This policy also applies to the immediate family of such persons. The Department has already taken steps to impose visa restrictions on several individuals, including Venezuelans, under this expanded policy," Rubio said.

"Cuba continues to profit from the forced labor of its workers and the regime’s abusive and coercive labor practices are well documented. Cuba’s labor export programs, which include the medical missions, enrich the Cuban regime, and in the case of Cuba’s overseas medical missions, deprive ordinary Cubans of the medical care they desperately need in their home country. The United States is committed to countering forced labor practices around the globe. To do so, we must promote accountability not just for Cuban officials responsible for these policies, but also those complicit in the exploitation and forced labor of Cuban workers.”

The State Department's position has generated push back from several Caribbean leaders, some of whom have publicly indicated that they were willing to give up their US visas rather than rescind the Cuban medical missions which they said benefit their countries.

There are approximately 400 Cuban doctors, nurses and medical technicians currently working in the Jamaica.

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