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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade says Jamaica’s decision to end its technical cooperation programme with Cuba in the health sector followed a review that identified legal and labour concerns, despite the country’s appreciation for the work of Cuban medical professionals.
The Jamaica government says its decision to end technical cooperation in health with Cuba was based on legal and labour concerns, responding to claims from Havana that the move was made under pressure from the United States.
In a media release issued Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said the government conducted a review of the programme to ensure compliance with Jamaican law and international labour conventions, ultimately concluding that the existing arrangement could not continue.
The statement followed criticism from Cuba’s foreign ministry, which said Jamaica had “yielded to the pressures of the government of the United States.”
“With this action, the government of Jamaica yields to the pressures of the government of the United States, which is not concerned about the health needs of the Caribbean brothers,” the Cuban ministry said in a statement Friday. Cuba also expressed regret over the end of the long-standing programme and said the decision would affect healthcare services previously provided by its personnel.
In its response, Jamaica emphasized that it values the contribution of Cuban medical professionals who have worked in the island’s public health system.
“Jamaica has always valued the contribution of the Cuban medical professionals who have served our people with dedication, skill and compassion. Cuban nurses, doctors and technicians from the neighbouring island are treated by the Government of Jamaica with respect, care and appreciation,” the statement said.
The ministry noted that the United States has publicly raised concerns about the operation of the programme globally, including issues related to denial of access to travel documents, restricted freedom of movement and salary payment arrangements. As a result, Jamaica conducted a review to ensure compliance with domestic and international legal obligations.
According to the ministry, the review found no problems related to working conditions in Jamaica.
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“Following the review, it was confirmed that there were no issues with treatment on the job, accommodation, leave entitlements or freedom of movement in Jamaica. It however revealed two issues which required immediate attention,” the statement said.
One concern involved Cuban medical personnel not having possession of their own passports. The ministry said once this was brought to the Government’s attention, steps were taken to address it.
“Among the concerns identified was the fact that Cuban personnel were not in possession of their own passports. Once that was brought to the Government’s attention, immediate steps were taken to correct it. The issue was raised with Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency as well as the Cuban authorities locally to ensure that all personnel were allowed to hold their passports.”
A second issue related to the structure of salary payments for Cuban medical workers. The ministry said salaries were calculated at the same level as Jamaican counterparts but were paid by Jamaica to Cuban authorities in U.S. dollars, with only overtime payments made directly to the personnel.
“Even more concerning, there was no contractual provision specifying what share of those salary payments was to be paid to the workers. That arrangement raised serious concerns under Jamaican labour and tax laws as well as under international labour conventions,” the statement said.
The ministry said the Government pursued discussions with Cuban officials for several months to restructure the programme.
“Beginning in July of last year, Jamaica commenced formal discussions with the Cuban authorities aimed at restructuring the arrangement to ensure compliance with Jamaican law and international conventions, which require that workers be paid directly and have control of their travel documents.”
According to the statement, a formal proposal was submitted in October and followed by additional communication in December, along with discussions involving current and former Cuban ambassadors and informal engagements at the ministerial level.
“For absolute clarity, the Government of Jamaica proposed continuation of the programme with adjustments. It remains disappointed that despite these repeated efforts, no substantive response was ever received whether verbally or in writing from Cuba.”
The ministry also said Jamaica became aware that other Caribbean countries had arrangements allowing Cuban medical personnel to be paid directly, indicating that an alternative structure was possible.
“Unfortunately, the continued lack of response had the practical effect of preserving an arrangement that Jamaica could not justify,” the statement said, adding that the Government ultimately determined that continuing under the existing terms was “untenable.”
Despite the decision, the Government stressed that it still values the contribution of Cuban medical personnel and remains open to cooperation.
“Jamaica’s position is therefore clear: we value the contribution of Cuban medical personnel, we respect the Cuban people, and we remain committed to cooperation. However, no programme operating in Jamaica can continue on terms that are inconsistent with Jamaican law and international conventions.”
The ministry also expressed disappointment that the Cuban government chose to withdraw its medical personnel, noting that the proposed terms had already been accepted in agreements with other Caribbean countries.
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