US Targets Cubas Global Medical Missions Over Alleged Human Rights Concerns

Guatemala Announces Gradual Termination of Cuban Medical Programme

Guatemala has announced plans to phase out its three-decade-old programme that brings in Cuban doctors to supplement the country’s healthcare system. The decision comes amid growing pressure from the United States, which seeks to restrict Cuba’s medical missions abroad.

The programme, established in 1998, was initially intended to support Guatemala following Hurricane Mitch, which devastated parts of Central America and left rural communities with limited access to medical care. According to the Guatemalan Ministry of Health, the phased withdrawal of the Cuban Medical Brigade will be completed over this year.

Cuba has been a major earner of revenue through its medical missions worldwide, particularly in Latin America. The country’s “white coat army” sends thousands of doctors and medical workers to countries around the world, generating billions of dollars each year.

The US has imposed sanctions on Cuba, which has led to severe shortages of power, food, and medicine in the country. The Trump administration’s oil blockade has exacerbated these shortages. Guatemala is one of several countries that have benefited from Cuban medical missions over the years.

In recent months, Guatemala has taken steps to cooperate with the US, including increasing deportation flights and agreeing to ramp up cooperation on immigration issues. This shift may be linked to the country’s new president, Bernardo Arevalo, who has worked closely with Trump administration officials.

Cuba withdrew from a medical programme in Brazil last year after the country’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, criticized the mission as “slave labour”. The US has deemed Cuba’s foreign medical missions a form of “forced labour” and human trafficking, without evidence.

Source: Al Jazeera