For decades, Cuba's health cooperation programs have become a pillar supporting healthcare systems in many developing countries. However, this network is rapidly shrinking as a series of countries in the Caribbean and Latin America terminate contracts with Havana under pressure from the US, according to The Guardian.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez recently said that many countries have had to cancel long-standing medical agreements under political and diplomatic pressure. Decades-old programs are being disrupted, leading to the withdrawal of Cuban doctors from hospitals and local communities.
In many countries such as Guatemala, Honduras or Jamaica, public health programs are heavily dependent on human resources from Cuba. These are places where Cuban doctors often work in remote areas - where the local health system is still limited.
The shortage of medical personnel may disrupt basic services such as medical examination and treatment, maternity care, or disease diagnosis. Vulnerable communities, especially the poor and indigenous, are forecast to be most significantly affected.
For many years, Cuba has deployed "white army" to dozens of countries, both providing medical support and creating foreign currency revenue. More than 50,000 Cuban medical staff have worked abroad, making significant contributions to the economy in the context of the country enduring prolonged sanctions.
This model is also controversial. The US side argues that the Cuban government's retention of a portion of doctors' income is inappropriate, while Havana emphasizes that doctors are trained free of charge and participate in programs on a voluntary basis.
In the previous term, President Donald Trump's administration urged countries to reconsider these agreements. In Brazil, more than 8,000 Cuban doctors left in 2018 after the new administration changed its cooperation policy.
Not only affecting the receiving country's health system, narrowing down these programs also affects Cuba itself. Medical service exports are one of the important sources of foreign currency, especially in the context of many economic difficulties.
In addition, Cuba also trains tens of thousands of international medical students through free learning programs, contributing to building medical human resources for many developing countries.
Current developments reflect changes in the regional geopolitical environment. Relations between the US and Cuba continue to be affected by prolonged sanctions, while many Caribbean countries have to balance the need for health cooperation and external factors.
The consequences are enormous. Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana and Saint Vincent and Grenadines have all ended medical cooperation with Cuba under pressure from US visa and diplomatic sanctions.
Only Saint Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago have not followed suit. Millions of people may lose basic healthcare services, especially indigenous communities.
