Slap in the face of Caribbean solidarity
Published:Monday | March 9, 2026 | 12:06 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Jamaica ended its nearly 50-year medical cooperation programme with Cuba, which raises serious concerns about the future of healthcare access and educational opportunity in our region.
For decades, the Cuban medical programme has been an essential pillar of Jamaica’s public health system. Cuban doctors have served across the island, particularly in rural and underserved communities where shortages of medical professionals persist. Their presence has strengthened hospitals, expanded access to care, and supported Jamaica during times of crisis, including natural disasters and public health emergencies.
Equally important has been the programme’s role in expanding access to medical education. For many Jamaican students from working-class families, studying medicine locally is financially out of reach. Programmes at the University of the West Indies, while world class, remain expensive and highly competitive. The Cuban scholarship programme therefore created a critical pathway for talented young Jamaicans to pursue their dreams of becoming doctors while committing to return home to serve their communities.
Several youth connected our foundation are currently enrolled in this programme. The abrupt end of this long-standing partnership now raises urgent questions. What will happen to the students currently studying medicine in Cuba? How will Jamaica ensure that these young people are able to continue and complete their training? More broadly, how will the country address the inevitable gaps that may arise in the healthcare workforce if this pipeline is disrupted?
The decision also raises uncomfortable geopolitical questions. Many observers see this development as part of growing Western pressure on Caribbean governments to distance themselves from Cuba’s international medical missions. If this perception is accurate, it represents a troubling moment for Caribbean sovereignty and regional cooperation.
Caribbean history has taught us that external interests have often shaped decisions in ways that do not always serve the region’s people. We must ask whether political pressure and financial incentives should outweigh the tangible benefits that programmes like this have provided to our healthcare systems and educational opportunities.
Cuba has stood with the region for decades, offering doctors, training, and support when many larger powers did not. If this programme must end, the Jamaican government has a responsibility to clearly explain its decision and outline concrete plans to protect the future of the students affected.
Caribbean unity must never become collateral damage in global political negotiations.
FI WE CHILDREN FOUNDATION