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Cuba Accuses US of Pressuring Latin American Countries to End Doctor Deployment Agreements
Cuba's foreign minister accused the United States of extorting Latin American nations to cancel long-standing deals for Cuban medical personnel. Several countries, including Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, and Guyana, have terminated their agreements with Cuba. The US views the program as forced labor, while a recent human rights report detailed abuses in the missions.
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Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez accused the United States of extorting Latin American countries by pressuring them to cancel agreements for the deployment of Cuban doctors. The accusations were made on Thursday. Rodríguez stated that the US actions aim to strangle Cuba's economy, which relies on billions in revenue from foreign medical missions.
The Cuban doctor deployment program, operational since the 1960s, involves sending healthcare professionals to various countries. Official figures indicate that approximately 24,000 Cuban doctors and other healthcare workers were deployed to 56 countries in 2025. Half of these deployments were to Venezuela, Cuba's long-time ally.
The program generated $7 billion in earnings for Cuba last year. Most personnel are assigned to remote or hard-to-reach areas. Cuba describes the initiative as an act of solidarity to provide health services where they are needed.
Pressure Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, and Guyana have terminated their agreements with Cuba.
These countries maintain strong ties with Washington and have yielded to US pressure. The US stance forms part of a broader campaign of maximum pressure on the Cuban government under President Donald Trump. The US asserts that the program constitutes forced labor.
Trump has issued threats regarding potential intervention in Cuba following actions against Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro and Iran. Cuba faces economic challenges, including an energy blockade attributed to the US.
Tuesday, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) released a report on the Cuban medical missions.
The report documented serious human rights violations, including withholding of doctors' wages, confiscation of passports, and threats of up to eight years in prison for defection. 5% to 25% of the fees paid by host countries to Cuba. IACHR President Edgar Stuardo Ralón stated in an interview with AFP that some practices in the program could be classified as forced labor and human trafficking.
