By Zoila Palma: A 50-year era of Caribbean solidarity is rapidly crumbling as a wave of countries terminate long-standing medical agreements with Cuba, leaving many to wonder if Belize will be the next to sever ties with Cuban doctors.
Jamaica recently formally terminated its five-decade medical cooperation with Cuba citing the inability to agree on new terms.
Guyana followed suit, withdrawing its brigade after nearly 50 years when the Cuban government following a proposal to pay doctors’ salaries directly to the individuals rather than the Cuban state.
Honduras has also suspended its contracts, while The Bahamas, Antigua, Dominica, and St. Lucia are reportedly reevaluating how they compensate Cuban medical staff.
And Mexico has indicated that it will uphold the Cuban doctor agreement.
As regional neighbors retreat, Belize finds itself in an increasingly “delicate” position.
Prime Minister John Briceño recently confirmed that high-level, sensitive negotiations are underway involving both Washington and Havana. The stakes are high: Belize currently relies on more than 100 Cuban health professionals—including 45 specialized doctors—to staff rural clinics and hospitals in underserved areas like San Pedro and Toledo.
Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca admitted that the government is forced to consider an “exit strategy” or a “transition plan” to ensure the national healthcare system remains protected if ties are severed.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Tracy Taegar Panton has slammed the negotiations as “deeply disturbing,” accusing the Briceño administration of being “read the riot act” by the United States.
Panton warned that yielding to external demands would be a surrender of Belizean sovereignty and would “exaggerate the challenges” faced by the 28 villages in Toledo West that currently lack permanent local doctors. However, government sources have pushed back, claiming they have received no formal “notice” or threats from U.S. officials.
To avoid a total collapse of healthcare in remote areas, Belizean officials are exploring a “hybrid model” that might allow them to retain some Cuban specialists while gradually reducing the size of the official brigade.
Interestingly, under terms of most international diplomatic agreements, a significant portion of the payments made for the services of Cuban medical professionals is sent directly to the Cuban government rather than to the individual doctors. These professional service exports, primarily medical missions, are a cornerstone of the Cuban economy.
“Doctors sent abroad work under extremely restrictive agreements, with low wages and difficult conditions. While they generate income for the Cuban government through these agreements, the regime also has a chance to expand diplomatic relations. However, Cuban citizens are left lacking access to healthcare, with doctors on the island working under an over-stressed system with few resources,” the Harvard International Review explained.
While the Cuban government retains a large portion of the salaries, doctors deployed on these missions are typically paid more while working abroad than their local counterparts back in Cuba. However, the specific payment structure has become a major point of international friction. The United States has characterized these missions as “forced labor schemes” because the Cuban state retains such a high percentage of the earnings.
“Experts estimate the Cuban government collects $6 billion to $8 billion annually from its export of services, which includes the medical missions. The labor export program remains the largest foreign revenue source for the Cuban government. There are serious concerns with Cuba’s recruitment and retention practices surrounding the labor export program. While the conditions of each international labor mission vary from country to country, the Cuban government subjects all government-affiliated workers to the same coercive laws. Cuba has a government policy or pattern to profit from forced labor in the labor export program, which includes foreign medical missions,” a U.S. State Department report said.
Several countries have recently attempted to change how these doctors are compensated:
Guyana recently terminated its official brigade after moving to provide full salaries directly to the doctors and nurses instead of sending payments to the Cuban state.Jamaica and Cuba were unable to agree on terms for a new arrangement, with reports suggesting the disagreement centered on plans to pay doctors directly.
In Trinidad and Tobago, Cuban doctors are requesting the Government to give them independent contracts thus allowing them to stay and work.
Other nations, including The Bahamas, Antigua, Dominica, and St. Lucia, have expressed interest in restructuring their agreements to change how Cuban medical staff are paid aiming to move away from routine payments through the Cuban government.
The post The Great Caribbean Exit: Is Belize next to sever ties with Cuban doctors? appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
By Zoila Palma: A 50-year era of Caribbean solidarity is rapidly crumbling as a wave of countries terminate long-standing medical agreements with Cuba, leaving many to wonder if Belize will be the next to sever ties with Cuban doctors. Jamaica recently formally terminated its five-decade medical cooperation with Cuba citing the inability to agree on
The post The Great Caribbean Exit: Is Belize next to sever ties with Cuban doctors? appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
