In what has been considered medical diplomacy, Cuban doctors have had a significant presence across the Caribbean and South America, staffing hospitals and serving rural communities where care is scarce.
According to the Associated Press, Cuban doctors have worked in various countries for decades under an agreement that has earned the Cuban government money for sending their doctors to places in dire need. However, the tide is shifting, as the Trump administration has described it as forced labor.
In recent days, Guyana and Jamaica have ended their long-standing medical cooperation agreements with Havana amid intensifying pressure from Washington, D.C. Guyana Health
Minister Frank Anthony told reporters that Cuban authorities decided to end the program after nearly 50 years. The two governments could not reach an agreement after Guyanese officials moved to negotiate providing full salaries to doctors and nurses, in contrast to the Cuban government.But it’s not just in Guyana.
According to Forbes, Jamaica announced it would also terminate its decades-old medical mission, since the two governments couldn’t agree on new terms. Cuban doctors have recently left Honduras after Cuba suspended a contract. There could be more, as several other Caribbean countries, including The Bahamas, Antigua, Dominica, and St. Lucia, consider changing how they pay Cuban doctors as well.
U.S. Pressure Intensifies In Cuba
Cuba’s decision to remove its medical diplomacy in at least three countries so far comes as the Trump administration takes measures to isolate the Cuban government, which includes a blockade of oil shipments to the island. Cuba is currently struggling with a severe economic crisis and an energy crisis that has worsened with the U.S. blockade. One contributing factor to the current energy crisis is the fuel shortages following the reduction in Venezuelan oil shipments that have helped power the island.
So far, residents are feeling the pressure. Cuba is experienc
ing islandwide blackouts as its power grid crumbles. On X, the Ministry of Energy and Mines confirmed a “complete disconnection” of the country’s electrical system and said it would investigate the outages.As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, this blackout marks the third major one in Cuba in just four months. Some of its power challenges stem from eroding infrastructure, but Cuban officials blame the U.S. energy blockade.
In recent days, protests have erupted across parts of the island as citizens have become frustrated by food shortages and blackouts lasting more than a dozen hours a day.
According to NBC News, daily life in Havana has changed dramatically.
Few cars are visible on the streets, and buses don’t run for most of the day. Buses go out around 6 a.m. and return around 4 p.m. Most residents cannot afford taxis, and massive piles of trash are accumulating.
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