Caribbean countries phase out Cuban doctors; French hospital welcomes them

As pressure from the United States forces Caribbean governments to alter plans utilizing Cuban medical personnel, a hospital in France is planning to recruit them. The St Vincent and the Grenadines government had announced on Monday February 9, 2026, a plan to reduce the country’s reliance on Cuban medical personnel as part of a strategy for “Medical Staffing Localisation.”

Prime Minister Dr. Godwin Friday was at the time delivering the 2026 National Budget address, and said the government will begin a three-year phase-out of the reliance on Cubans as District Medical Officers.

Dr. Friday cited two primary reasons for this policy shift including the language barriers which he says is often faced by patients and staff, and to reduce foreign staffing costs associated with maintaining international medical teams.

Several other countries in the extended region have moved to end or change the programmes. notably Guatemala announced in February, 2026 that it would phase out its use of Cuban doctors. Honduras ended its deal with Cuba in late February, 2026, with nearly 130 Cuban medical workers leaving after their contract expired. The Bahamas has stated it will cancel its current government-to-government contract and instead offer direct employment to interested Cuban healthcare professionals.

Guyana announced it would start paying doctors directly, rather than through the Cuban government. Paraguay also ended its programme with Cuba. Antigua and Barbuda abruptly terminated its long-standing medical partnership with Cuba in late 2025 to early 2026 and has begun recruiting from Ghana; and Dominica has announced plans to make changes to its programme with Cuban health workers.

As these countries sever decades-long ties with the Cuban Medical Brigade over US concerns that the programme amounts to trafficking in persons, other entities are taking steps to secure the services of the Cuban doctors. On Monday, February 23, 2026, the Cuban Foreign Ministry said that a community hospital in France wants Cuban doctors to work there to serve the hospital.

The February 23, 2026 statement said, “At a meeting organized by Sylvain André, mayor of Cendras, and Jean-Michel Suau, on behalf of the Hospital Defense Committee, the embassy representative reiterated Cuba’s willingness to respond positively to the request, once the necessary legal and administrative conditions for such cooperation are in place in France.”

The Cuban Foreign Ministry further stated that the Defense Committee of the Cévennes Hospital on Monday delivered to Second Chief of Mission of the Cuban Embassy in France, Justo Rodríguez, a dossier proposing Franco-Cuban medical cooperation. The fundamental objective is to achieve the arrival of Cuban doctors to the territory of the Cévennes, made up of several communes such as Alès, Ardèche, Lozère, Cendras and others.

Former French member of parliament André Chassaigne, reiterated that the project is in its initial phase and that a pilot programme is underway in a few selected municipalities, the Cuban ministry added.

At a meeting chaired by Christian Cataldo, general director of the Alès Cévenas Hospital Center, the Cuban representative and other officials, toured the healthcare facility and discussed the potential implementation of medical cooperation at CHAC. The meeting also provided an opportunity to learn the necessary administrative details and discuss the various aspects of this project.

The Cuban foreign ministry pointed out in its statement that the Cuban representative received expressions of political support and solidarity from the Gard Federation of the French Communist Party (PCF), led by Giovanni
di Francesco, secretary of the Alès branch, in a meeting with several of its members and local representatives of solidarity associations, such as Cuba Cooperation France and France-Cuba.

In a February 6, 2026 post the U.S Embassy in Barbados stated that: “The United States is committed to holding accountable Cuban regime officials, foreign government officials, and others for facilitating forced labor in Cuba’s medical missions. By participating in these programs, despite known human rights abuses, foreign governments become complicit in the regime’s tactics”.

The embassy added, “There are alternative methods available for Caribbean nations to recruit foreign medical workers and ethically meet the healthcare needs of their people.”