Jamaica to end 50-year-old medical programme with Cuba

Jamaica has discontinued its medical cooperation programme with Cuba, the foreign ministry announced Thursday. The move ends a five-decade relationship under which healthcare workers from the communist nation filled key gaps in the local public health system.

"This comes as both governments were unable to agree on the terms and conditions of a new technical cooperation arrangement, following the expiration of the previous agreement in February 2023," the Kamina Johnson Smith-led ministry said in a statement.

It said: "The Government of Jamaica has taken the decision to discontinue the current arrangement concerning the deployment of medical professionals in the public health sector by the Government of Cuba."

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

In its statement, the foreign ministry said Cuban medical professionals currently in Jamaica may be engaged individually for the remainder of their scheduled tenure, in keeping with the country's labour laws.

"In the interest of continuity of the valuable service provided by the Cuban medical professionals present in the country, and for their personal certainty and well-being, the Government of Jamaica has indicated its willingness for the Ministry of Health and Wellness to engage these medical professionals on an individual basis, in keeping with local labour laws," the ministry said.

It explained that the arrangement "would last for the remainder of their scheduled tenure in Jamaica under the programme"

It added: "Cuban medical professionals have been serving in various public health facilities across the island, and Jamaicans have benefited notably from the eye care programme as well as the general care by nurses and doctors.

"The Government of Jamaica has expressed its sincere appreciation to the Government of Cuba for its significant contribution to the health sector in Jamaica."

Last month, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton confirmed that while the previous MOU had expired, nearly 300 Cuban doctors and specialists continue to serve in Jamaica under existing contracts.

“It’s still in effect. We still have the Cuban workers here,” Tufton told The Gleaner at the time. “There is a negotiation, though, that is taking place regarding the current agreement. The old one has expired and some conversations have been taking place, and that process is ongoing.”

Tufton acknowledged that outstanding requests from Jamaica could jeopardise a final deal but declined to disclose the specific requirements being sought.

The issue has dominated discussions at the foreign ministry as the Dr Andrew Holness-led administration seeks to manage its relations with an increasingly impatient US, The Gleaner understands.

"The implications for the health sector are great and it is a terrible situation for any health minister, to be caught up between saving lives and foreign policy fights," said a government official with knowledge of the talks but did not want to be named because they were not authorised to speak on the issue. "Jamaica has made its choice."

On Monday, Dominica, a CARICOM member, said it would enter into personal contracts with medical professionals from Cuba as it sought to modify its long standing arrangement with Cuba.

The development also comes as lawmakers are set to question ministers, starting tomorrow, over the proposed $1.4 trillion budget for the 2026–2027 financial year, which begins on April 1. Tufton is scheduled to appear before Parliament’s Standing Finance Committee on Thursday.

At a CARICOM summit last week, Holness, the Jamaican prime minister, praised Cuba for supporting the region’s health system but emphasised that Jamaica “stands firmly” for democracy, human rights, political accountability and an open, market-based economy.

“We do not believe that long-term stability can exist where economic freedom is constrained and political participation is limited,” he said, noting that Jamaica is “sensitive” to the struggles of the Cuban people as they battle the US oil blockade of the country. “Sustainable prosperity requires openness to ideas, to enterprise, to investment and to the will of the people.”

Responding to questions about the medical programme during a visit to Jamaica last year, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to clarify that Washington does not oppose the Cuban medical programme itself, but rather what it alleges to be forced labour within the system.

Jamaica’s medical cooperation programme with Cuba has been in place since 1976 and upheld by successive political administrations, the foreign ministry said in a statement in March 2025.

It said then 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."

"Minister Johnson Smith emphasised that a review of the 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."

Cuba has also trained hundreds of Caribbean doctors and dentists under government scholarships since the 1970s, many of whom now serve across the region.

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