“We need workers” – Pres Ali highlights Guyana’s “unique” direct hiring of medical workers

…US will not cut ties with C’bean nations but wants end to Cuban Govt medical mission – Rubio

President Dr Irfaan Ali has defended what is being described as Guyana’s “unique” approach to directly recruiting medical workers from Cuba. Speaking with reporters on the side-lines of the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) 50th Head of Government Conference on Wednesday in St Kitts and Nevis, the Guyanese leader was asked about the country’s decision to hire Cuban medical workers directly instead of going through the Cuban Government.

According to President Ali, Guyana needs the human resources for the expanding health sector. “We need workers,” he declared. “If the Cuban workforce can give us nurses and doctors and we hire those nurses and doctors in accordance with our local labour laws and international labour regulations and we ensure that they are paid within the laws of our country and under the same conditions as any other worker is paid, that is, they receive their money directly, then I think you meet all the international criteria.” The United States (US) has been pushing countries in the Caribbean to end their partnerships with the Cuban regime regarding overseas medical missions, citing issues of human rights abuses and forced labour practices. Last year, the US expanded an existing Cuba-related visa restriction policy that targets forced labour linked to the Cuban labour export programme. That decision saw visa restrictions placed on state officials believed to be involved in the export of Cuban workers, a move that has been strongly criticised by some Caribbean leaders. In Guyana, Cuban medical professionals work in several public and private hospitals across the country. The Guyana Government has maintained that all foreign workers here, including Cubans, are being employed and paid under local and international labour laws. Moreover, the Administration had committed to maintaining diplomatic engagement with the US on this issue while ensuring that Cuban health professionals, who have been an integral part of Guyana’s healthcare system, are able to continue their crucial work in the country.
Terminated medical partnership
In fact, earlier this month, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony confirmed that Guyana had terminated its longstanding bilateral medical partnership with the Cuban Government and is now directly negotiating with medical professionals from that country. President Ali, over the past year, has defended the need for the Cuban health workers, especially in the Caribbean region where there is a gap in resources, something which he reiterated on Wednesday. “The health sector in the region has challenges. We need workers,” the Guyanese leader contended.

Alternatives
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had attended the CARICOM Head of Government Conference in St Kitts, told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday that the US can offer alternatives to those Caribbean nations that are in need of medical workers. “We have medical missions that can provide an alternative. And in fact, we’ve met some of those folks in the past. The other thing with the Cuban medical programme is the fact that these people are working…they’re barely even being paid. Their freedom of movement is tightly restricted, and we want these countries to understand that that’s what they’re participating in.”
“Now, you’ve seen other countries that have decided, ‘I’ll just pay the doctors directly,’ but the Cubans won’t allow it. So again, that’s sort of the point we’ve raised with them. I mean, we’re not going to cut diplomatic relations with countries in the Caribbean because they don’t agree with us on it, but we make a forceful point about it, and it came up today [Wednesday],” the US Secretary of State said about his engagement with Caribbean leaders.

Humanitarian crisis in Cuba
Meanwhile, also on the side-lines of the CARICOM meeting in St Kitts on Wednesday, President Ali and Secretary Rubio had a meeting which the Guyanese leader described as “deliberate” and “focused” discussions on a number of issues, including the humanitarian crisis in Cuba. “We spoke about Cuba, and of course, in dealing with Cuba, it’s not a simple issue,” the Guyanese Head of State posited, adding, “…but speaking about a framework of which CARICOM could be a part of that would deal with Cuba and deal with transitions that are necessary for the people of Cuba and for the development of Cuba… So, it is for us to work out what that framework is.” “On the issue of humanitarian aid, Guyana’s position has always been very clear. And even Secretary Rubio would have alluded to the fact that there is nothing preventing humanitarian aid from going to Cuba. But the challenge that Cuba has is a challenge of power. So, where do you store the food if you don’t have power and energy to store food.” In lamenting on the situation in Cuba, however, President Ali ruled out any possibility of Guyana supplying the island nation with fuel. Responding to questions posed, the Head of State explained that oil is an economic commodity that is traded via strict regulations that Guyana subscribes to.
This comes on the heels of the US Treasury Department announcing earlier on Wednesday that it could send oil from Venezuela to Cuba to bring relief to the humanitarian crisis there. Rubio explained, after being questioned during the press briefing in St Kitts on Wednesday, that the idea is to sell the oil directly to the Cuban private sector, not the Government. “These would be sales to a very small private sector that exists in Cuba and that’s always been legal… The private sector in Cuba is quite small…and it certainly in and of itself does not have the capacity to deal with the scale and scope of the challenges they’re facing,” Rubio stated. He went on to add, “We’ve provided humanitarian assistance in Cuba in the aftermath of the hurricane; we provided it through the Catholic Church, not through the Government and we’re prepared to do something similar when it comes to fuel through the private sector, the small private sector. But that alone will not solve Cuba’s very dramatic problems that have been caused by 60-some-odd years of mismanagement, ineptitude and a failed economic model.”