Guyana will not abandon Cuban medical workers – Pres Ali

– says matter will be raised during upcoming Rubio trip

Amid concerns being expressed by the United States (US) over the movement of Cuban medical workers in the region, President Dr Irfaan Ali has declared that Guyana will not abandon these Cuban medical professionals here in the face of the visa restrictions by the US.
The President was at the time speaking with reporters on the sidelines of an event on Saturday. The President assured that this issue will be raised with US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, during his visit here next week as part of a three-nation Caribbean tour.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to expand on the magnitude of the human capital problem we have in the region, in the health care system itself; and to find common grounds with the U.S. Well, I’ve made it very clear our position to find common ground. And I don’t see this, I don’t see abandoning Cuba as part of this equation,” President Ali said.
“The equation is not surrounding a country; it’s surrounding an issue. And the U.S. is contending that with the information that is before them, they don’t believe that the Cuban health regime system is following the international best practices and laws and so on. So, when we listen to the U.S., we’ll have a better appreciation for the information that they have also before them.”

Last month, the US expanded an existing Cuba-related visa restriction policy that targets forced labour linked to the Cuban labour export programme. This decision will see visa restrictions placed on state officials believed to be involved in the export of Cuban workers – a move that has been strongly criticized by some Caribbean leaders.
In Guyana, Cuban medical professionals work in several public and private hospitals across the country. During a recent trip to the US, where President Ali met with several top Government officials to discuss a number of issues, the Guyana Government had informed the US authorities that all foreign workers here, including Cubans, are employed under strict local labour laws as well as in compliance with international labour laws.
During a recent interview, Ali had also assured that the Guyana government is prepared to work with the US on the issue. Citing the close ties that Guyana and the US share on many issues, the Head of State maintained that there are no labour breaches here. In fact, he said that among the information the Guyana Government shared with the US last week is the benefits that the Cuban workers get here.
“We ensure their contracts and terms of employment are aligned with international and local labour laws, and standards. But we also said to the US if there is any particular information or any specific issue that they wish for us to address, that we’re more than willing to work with them.”
“We are very confident that they are working in strict conformity with international labour laws and our local labour laws… We’ve shared [with the US] everything, and we’re not in breach of any labour laws,” the President had also stressed.
CARICOM countries, including Guyana, provide employment for large batches of Cuban doctors and nurses, and some CARICOM leaders have taken a more direct stance against the US’s expansion of its existing Cuba-related visa restriction policy that targets the export of Cuban labour to other countries.
According to President Ali on Saturday, “…when the policy was announced [by the US]… we were at [the CARICOM] Heads meeting, and this was one of the subjects that Heads would have requested a meeting on with the US State Department.”
As articulated in a statement from Rubio, the administration believes that Cuba nets much income from a “forced labour” programme. Doctors and other health workers in particular are believed to be part of this programme.
Shortly after the announcement, VP Jagdeo had stated while the CARICOM nations plan to engage the US Administration on the Cuban medical brigade and other issues, the Guyana Government’s priority remains economic and social stability, as well as ensuring access to adequate healthcare for the Guyanese people.
In its 2024 Mid-Year Report, the Ministry of Finance had revealed that the Cuban Medical Brigade’s presence in Guyana had significantly increased, with some 240 Cuban healthcare professionals, including 144 nurses, now deployed across the country – a growth from the 192 medical professionals from the island nation stationed here at the end of 2023.