The Jamaican government has officially terminated its longstanding medical cooperation program with Cuba, attributing the decision to Havana’s refusal to comply with Jamaican legal standards and international labor conventions. The program, which had facilitated the deployment of Cuban healthcare professionals to Jamaica for over five decades, was discontinued after extensive but unsuccessful negotiations.
In an official statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Jamaica expressed appreciation for the Cuban medical personnel’s contributions while emphasizing that no program operating within its borders could continue under terms violating domestic legislation. The ministry revealed that despite multiple formal communications since July of the previous year, Cuban authorities failed to respond substantively to proposed adjustments that would align the program with legal requirements.
The review process identified two critical compliance issues: Cuban medical staff were not in possession of their own passports, and salary payments were being made to the Cuban government in US dollars rather than directly to the workers. While the passport issue was promptly addressed, the compensation arrangement remained problematic as it lacked transparency regarding the actual remuneration received by medical personnel and contravened Jamaican labor laws.
Jamaica’s government noted that other Caribbean nations had successfully implemented similar programs with direct payment structures to Cuban workers, demonstrating that lawful alternatives existed. The termination decision comes amid increased US scrutiny of Cuba’s global medical missions, though Jamaican authorities maintain their action was solely motivated by legal compliance requirements rather than external political pressures.
The Cuban government has expressed regret over what it characterizes as Jamaica’s ‘unilateral’ termination of the agreement, while critics of the decision have accused Jamaica of yielding to US influence. Jamaica maintains that it pursued respectful diplomacy throughout the process and remains committed to future cooperation with Cuba under terms consistent with international labor standards and domestic law.