‘We love Cuba’

An older couple from the Norman Gardens community in Kingston is among many Jamaicans left frustrated and disappointed by the departure of Cuban medical personnel who have served on the island for five decades.

“My husband is one of the beneficiaries of the Cuban medical professionals. He had one of his eyes done at St Joseph’s Hospital and was supposed to get the other one done, but when he went back, they sent him to KPH (Kingston Public Hospital) because the Cubans have gone home,” the man’s 61-year-old wife, who gave her name as Joy British, told The Gleaner.

British explained that her husband had cataract surgery on one of his eyes and was scheduled to have a second surgery done on the other eye by the Cubans, but on his return, he was redirected to KPH.

“He is very upset because he wanted it to be done by the Cubans, and I am very upset as well,” British said. “We need more nurses and doctors like those Cubans in the system.” She added that she, too, had been scheduled for a cataract appointment with the Cuban medical team, which she can no longer pursue.

According to her, she was told that her case was not urgent but still needed to be looked at. However, she said she was concerned about her 72-year-old husband and how quickly his surgery will be done now that the Cubans are gone.

British was among scores of Jamaicans who braved the hot sun yesterday morning and participated in a “gratitude walk” in downtown Kingston to honour Cuban healthcare workers for 50 years of service.

Organised by Michael Ennis, a retired information technology professional, the procession moved from Sutton Street to National Heroes Park, with participants chanting, “We love Cuba”, “Bring back the nurses”, and “Bring back the doctors”.

“This is not a protest, not a demonstration, not even a march. It is a gratitude walk,” Ennis said. “The aim is to send a message to the Cuban people that Jamaicans appreciate what they have done for us.”

Ennis noted that supporters travelled from across Jamaica and the diaspora to take part.

Ennis said further that although he was not personally affiliated with the Cubans, he felt compelled to do something when he heard about the Cubans leaving.

For others, the walk was a deeply personal expression of gratitude.

Karen, a 29-year-old entrepreneur, recounted how Cuban doctors saved her mobility after a severe motorbike accident last year.

“I went unconscious for about two hours. When I got to KPH, no one was attending to me. A Cuban doctor saw what was happening and sprang into action. I was rushed to the theatre and was operated on by an orthopaedic surgeon from Cuba,” she said.

Karen explained that she underwent open reduction internal fixation surgery on her shattered right foot, including bone grafts from her hip, and also had facial injuries treated.

“I’m here now, being thankful. The Cubans are some of the kindest, most caring people I’ve ever met. Jamaica should try to keep them,” she said.

Dr Reen Daley, a Jamaican living in the United Kingdom who attended the walk while visiting the island to collect an award, echoed the sentiment.

ESSENTIAL TO THE MEDICAL FIELD

“The Cuban doctors were very essential to Jamaica in the medical field, and I think it is a shame what has happened. I don’t know what the poorer class of people is going to do,” she said.

She stressed that Jamaica should reconsider the benefits of retaining Cuban medical expertise while imploring Jamaicans across the globe to unite and help the Government with resources to improve the country’s health sector.

Many participants also lamented the impact on the healthcare system, particularly for vulnerable populations who relied on the Cuban teams for specialised care such as eye surgery.

One woman, a human resource professional, who turned up with her husband but declined to give her name, described herself as “heartbroken”.

“It will impact all of us, the less fortunate, the middle class, and the most fortunate. I met an elderly man who feared he may never regain his sight without the Cuban doctors,” she said.

A retired psychotherapist also expressed dismay.

“It’s absolutely outrageous given what the Cubans have done for us in Jamaica. But they’re not going to change their mind, and, maybe, there will not be another chance,” she said.

While the Cuban medical cooperation programme officially ended after 50 years, supporters remain hopeful for renewed diplomatic efforts.

“I am still hopeful. There is still hope,” the human resource professional said.

“The authorities could try again to find a way to keep Cuban medical teams on the island.”

The Jamaican Government, earlier this month, announced that it had discontinued its medical cooperation programme with Cuba. The move ended a five-decade relationship under which healthcare workers from the communist nation filled key gaps in the local public-health system.

Foreign Affairs Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith explained that the decision was the result of both governments being unable to agree on the terms and conditions of a new technical cooperation arrangement following the expiration of the previous agreement in February 2023.

Jamaica’s decision comes as the United States intensifies economic pressure on Cuba and forces long-standing partners to revisit their relationship with the island nation. Washington has also accused Cuba’s overseas medical missions of constituting forced labour and human trafficking, allegations that were rejected by Caribbean leaders.

tanesha.mundle@gleanerjm.com