Antigua insists Cuba health program has not ended amid recruitment of Ghanaian nurses

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has agreed to contract more than 100 nurses from Ghana, while maintaining that it has not formally ended its long-standing programme to recruit health professionals from Cuba to support the country’s healthcare system.

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The move comes amid increased pressure from the United States, which has stepped up calls for Caribbean countries to end their participation in Cuba’s overseas medical programme. Washington has said it “stands with those affected and continues to work for an end to the Cuban regime’s exploitative labour practices.”

In a statement issued following the weekly Cabinet meeting, the Government confirmed that it is welcoming “the arrival of 120 nurses from the Republic of Ghana expected over the weekend of January 23, 2026, who will serve within the public healthcare system of Antigua and Barbuda.”

According to the statement, Minister of Health Sir Molwyn Joseph said the nurses will be deployed primarily at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, as well as within community health clinics and schools, with the aim of strengthening both hospital-based and community-level healthcare delivery.

Director-General of Communications Maurice Merchant later told reporters that Cabinet reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the national health system, noting the Government’s continued focus on expanding and stabilising the healthcare workforce. He said the additional nurses are expected to significantly improve service delivery and ease pressure on existing staff within the public health system.

Merchant explained that nurses in Antigua and Barbuda are generally highly trained and, like their counterparts across the Caribbean, are frequently recruited by health institutions in North America and Europe offering higher pay and better benefits that the country cannot match. As a result, he said, the Government has had to look externally to bolster the healthcare system.

At the same time, Merchant said significant emphasis has been placed on training local nursing personnel. He noted that during the last academic year, scholarships were awarded to 15 nurses to pursue master’s degrees at the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus (UWI FIC).

Addressing speculation surrounding the Cuban health programme, Merchant insisted that the Gaston Browne administration has not formally ended the arrangement. He said Cuban health professionals have been a mainstay of Antigua and Barbuda’s healthcare system for many years and that the relationship is currently undergoing a period of transition.

“There have been speculations and statements erroneously being made in the public by politicians and individuals who just simply want to ‘muddy the waters’ between the Republic of Cuba and the United States,” Merchant said. “It is unfortunate that this is being done. The Government values the contributions that have been made and are being made by the Cuban government with regards to our health sector and as with everything, there is a period of transition.”

Merchant said the Government’s long-term objective is for Antigua and Barbuda to become self-sufficient in the provision of nurses, which is why it has invested heavily in training local professionals in collaboration with UWI FIC.

Earlier this week, the United States again condemned the Cuban Health Brigade programme and urged regional governments to end their involvement. In a statement posted on the website of the US Embassy in Barbados, Washington said “the corrupt Cuban regime is profiting off the forced labour of medical personnel.”

“Renting out Cuban medical professionals at exorbitant prices and keeping the profit for regime elites is not a humanitarian gift. It is forced labour. It treats the doctors as commodities rather than human beings and professionals,” the statement said.

The US further argued that Caribbean nations pay high fees to the Cuban government for medical professionals, often exceeding what they pay local doctors, and claimed that 80 to 95 per cent of doctors’ salaries are taken by the Cuban state. Describing the programme as “a modern-day forced labour scheme,” the statement said it comes at a high financial and moral cost to participating countries.

“The United States stands with those affected and continues to work for an end to the Cuban regime’s exploitative labour practices,” the statement added.