By Abena Rockcliffe
The entire region is united in its appreciation of Cuban healthcare. From all reports, practically all Caribbean leaders wish to continue utilizing the services of medical professionals from Cuba. However, the approach taken to send this message to the United States (US) differs vastly. Some leaders have sent strong messages that they are prepared to maintain medical aid from Cuba even at the expense of fractured relations with the US. Meanwhile, Guyana has taken a more cautious approach, steering clear of any definite pronouncements on the issue.
It was US Secretary of State Rubio who promised sanctions for all those who collaborate with the Cuban programme that has provided high quality healthcare to millions of people living in developed countries around the world.
A few weeks ago, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo confirmed that despite the threat of sanction from the United States of America, the Government of Guyana is not in a rush to make any decisions regarding its ongoing collaboration with Cuba on medical services. He said that instead, the government is seeking an audience with the powers that be in the new United States administration.
Back then, Jagdeo revealed that at the last meeting of Caricom leaders there was an agreement to engage the President Donald Trump administration on a number of issues because “we felt that President Trump should see the Region not through the eyes of third party but directly get views from the leaders of the Region”
Jagdeo said that given its widespread impact, issues relating to the Cuban brigade would most likely be on the list of those to be discussed with the State Department or the White House.
The US has not thus far changed its position. But since then, a number of Caribbean leaders have taken strong public positions on the matter.
Among these leaders are Trinidad and Tobago’s Keith Rowley, Barbados Mia Mottley and St Vincent’s Ralph Gonsalves. All three of those long-standing Caribbean leaders have declared, with no uncertainty, that they are willing to give up their US visa to stand in principle on this issue.
Gonsalves said, the hemodialysis offered to at least 60 persons in St Vincent at the Modern Medical and Diagnostic Center would not be possible without the Cubans. The leader questioned, “So does anybody expect, because I want a visa, that I will let 60 persons from the poor and working people to die?” He then declared, “It will never happen.”
Mottley said that while Bajan hospitals are not currently staffed with Cuban doctors and nurses, “I will be the first to go to the line and tell you that we could not get through the pandemic without the Cuban nurses and doctors. We paid them the same thing we paid Bajans.
She added, “I am prepared, like others in this region that if we cannot reach a sensible agreement on this matter and the cost of it is my Visa to the US, then so be it. But what matters to us is principles and I have said over and over than principles only mean something when it is inconvenient to stand by it. We so not have to shout but we can be resolute.”
Rowley also recalled the heavy support that his country gained by Cuban professionals during the pandemic. He said, “Out of the blue we are being called human traffickers because we hired technical people who we pay top dollar, equal rates to that given to Trinidadians. But we are now being accused of taking part in a programme where people are being exploited…I just came back from California and if I never go back there in my life, I will ensure that the sovereignty of Trinidad and Tobago is known to its people and respected by all.”
Guyana’s Jagdeo, on the other hand, shied away from saying if he is willing to give up his visa over the issue. His stance is essentially to trust the process as he stated that there is regional and national engagement with the US on the matter.
He then took an apparent jab at his regional colleagues as he stated, “We do not do diplomacy in the public.” The Vice President added, “We have a strong engagement with the Trump administration and the State Department that will allow this matter to be resolved to the satisfaction of all parties.
At a previous presser, Jagdeo was keen to note that the Cuban medical presence in the Caribbean has been strong for a very long time and had transcended several US administrations. Further, Jagdeo acknowledged that the Cuban medical presence in the region has had some positive impact on health care delivery across the region. He said therefore, Guyana cannot address this issue alone as it affects the entire Caribbean.
The programme has been in operation for almost seven decades after its establishment that followed the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Cuba sends its medical personnel overseas and accepts medical students and patients for training and treatment respectively. Thousands of Guyanese have benefitted over the life of the programme. In 2022, former Minister of Health and current advisor to the Government of Guyana, Leslie Ramsammy acknowledged the “invaluable service” offered by Cuba.
In 2023, a new Medical Cooperation Agreement was signed between Guyana and Cuba. The agreement was one “which elevates Cuba’s medical cooperation with Guyana.”
