BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — The United States government has formally denied pressuring St. Lucia to cease sending medical students to Cuba, despite maintaining its firm stance against what it describes as Havana’s “illegitimate” medical missions program. In an official statement released Wednesday, the US Embassy to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean clarified its position, emphasizing respect for national sovereignty in educational matters while simultaneously condemning Cuba’s program structure.
The embassy’s declaration stated: “The United States has not recently engaged St. Lucia in discussions regarding international education and respects countries’ sovereign decisions concerning citizen education. However, we continue to advocate for the termination of exploitation and forced labor within the Cuban regime’s overseas medical missions program.”
This diplomatic communication follows earlier remarks by St. Lucian Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre, who had previously indicated that Washington had requested Castries to discontinue its medical education arrangements with Cuba. When contacted for response following the US statement, Prime Minister Pierre offered no commentary, simply noting: “I have absolutely no comment, and I understand the US position.”
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Pierre had assured that there would be “no imminent withdrawal” of St. Lucian students currently pursuing medical studies in Cuba. He confirmed that all students already enrolled in Cuban programs would complete their education without interruption despite the emerging diplomatic tensions.
The Prime Minister had revealed during the World Congress on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Meeting that the US request presented a significant challenge, given that many St. Lucian physicians received training through Cuban programs. “I have a big problem. Many of our doctors got trained in Cuba, and now the great United States has said we can’t do that any longer,” Pierre had stated.
In response to the developing situation, the St. Lucian government is evaluating alternative medical education partnerships. Prime Minister Pierre indicated his administration is “assessing where we are in terms of scholarships for our medical students” and exploring opportunities with other nations, specifically mentioning Mexico and African countries as potential alternatives.
The controversy centers on Cuba’s Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), established in 1999, which has provided comprehensive medical scholarships to students from underserved Caribbean and Latin American communities, covering tuition, accommodation, and living expenses.
The United States maintains that Cuba’s medical missions constitute forced labor, alleging that medical professionals face “withheld wages, confiscated passports, forced family separation, excessive work hours, and unsafe conditions.” Washington asserts that Havana “profits from the forced labor of medical personnel” by “renting out Cuban medical professionals at exorbitant prices while retaining profits for regime elites.”
The US government has committed to “exposing injustices” within the program and demands termination of what it characterizes as “Cuba’s coercive and exploitative labor export scheme.”