Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton
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Halshane Burke reports
Jamaica is renegotiating its long-running medical cooperation programme with Cuba amid renewed pressure from the United States.
Health and Wellness Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton confirmed that while the previous memorandum of understanding (MOU) has expired, nearly 300 Cuban doctors and specialists continue to serve under existing contracts.
Dr. Tufton told The Gleaner that the arrangement is still in effect and that the Cuban health workers are still on the island.
He said negotiations are now taking place regarding the current agreement; the old one has expired and some conversations have been taking place, and that process is now ongoing.
No new MOU has been signed, and Dr. Tufton acknowledged that outstanding requests from Jamaica could jeopardise a final deal.
He declined to disclose the specific requirements being sought.
Dr. Tufton disclosed that the Cuban Eye Care Programme, the Cubans in hospitals and health centres are still doing work.
Late last year, scores of Cuban medics returned home, including a respected orthopaedic surgeon at the Kingston Public Hospital whose sudden departure left patients stunned.
Jamaica's medical cooperation with Cuba stretches back more than 50 years and has become a pillar of the public health system.
In a March 20, 2025 statement, Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith said the programme remains "vital", noting that a review had begun before international scrutiny intensified. That scrutiny has sharpened since the return of US President Donald Trump to the White House in January 2025.
Washington has accused Cuba's overseas medical missions of constituting forced labour and human trafficking – allegations repeatedly rejected by Caribbean leaders.
In a Facebook post, the US Embassy in Barbados warned that foreign governments participating in the programme risk complicity in labour abuses, and urged Caribbean states to pursue "alternative methods" of recruiting healthcare workers.
The US has also imposed visa restrictions on officials in the region.
In 2025, Grenadian Finance Minister Dennis Cornwall was among those targeted over what Washington described as involvement in the Cuban medical mission scheme.
Jamaica and other Caribbean countries continue to defend the Cuban medical missions.
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