BARBADOS | Mottley's Principled Stand: Defending Cuban Medical Aid Against False Narratives

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, March 13, 2025 - In a powerful rebuke of U.S. policy, Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has taken a principled stance on Cuban medical assistance, declaring she would rather lose her American visa than compromise on what she considers a matter of fundamental justice and regional solidarity.

"This matter, with the Cubans and the nurses, should tell us everything that we need to know," Mottley stated, her voice resonating with unwavering conviction as she addressed Parliament on the issue. Though Barbados does not currently employ Cuban medical personnel, the Prime Minister acknowledged their crucial role during the pandemic.

"We could not have gotten through the pandemic without the Cuban nurses and the Cuban doctors," she emphasized, highlighting a debt of gratitude shared by many Caribbean nations.

Mottley directly confronted accusations from both current and previous U.S. administrations that Caribbean nations engaging Cuban medical staff were complicit in human trafficking.

"We paid them the same thing that we pay Bajans," she clarified, firmly rejecting what she described as false narratives designed to undermine regional healthcare partnerships. The characterization of these medical missions as exploitative was "fully repudiated and rejected by us," Mottley asserted.

With diplomatic yet unyielding language, the Prime Minister made it clear that principles must prevail over political pressure. "I don't believe that we have to shout across the seas," she noted, advocating for measured dialogue before adding with steely determination, "if we cannot reach a sensible agreement on this matter, then if the cost of it is the loss of my visa to the U.S., then so be it."

In what may become a defining statement of her leadership philosophy, Mottley reminded listeners, "Principles only mean something when it is inconvenient to stand by them." She pledged solidarity with fellow CARICOM leaders in defending the Cuban medical program that "far from approximating itself to human trafficking, has been to save lives and limbs and sight for many a Caribbean person."

The Prime Minister's stance represents a significant challenge to U.S. policy in the region and underscores the growing willingness of Caribbean leaders to assert independent positions on matters they consider essential to their nations' wellbeing, regardless of potential diplomatic consequences.

The Barbados Prime Minister joins Trinidad and Tobago's Dr. Keith Rowley , St. Vincent and the Grenadine's Dr. Ralph Gonsalves; Grenada's Dickon Mitchell and Antigua and Barbuda's Gaston Browne in offering to give up their United States visas than sacrifice the Cuban medical missions that have been assisting in these countries over the past several decades.

The diplomatic standoff escalated last month when newly minted Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced an expanded policy targeting what he termed Cuban "forced" labor, particularly focusing on the island nation's overseas medical missions.

The policy would impose visa restrictions on current or former Cuban government officials "believed to be responsible for or involved in the Cuban labour export programme," which Rubio characterized as "exploitation of Cuban workers."

For Caribbean nations, the Cuban medical partnership represents a lifeline. With approximately 24,180 Cuban doctors serving in 56 countries worldwide, their presence has been instrumental in bolstering healthcare systems throughout the region, especially in nations with limited medical infrastructure.

Jamaica's Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith emphasized this reality at a recent press briefing, noting that her island hosts more than 400 Cuban medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, biomedical engineers, and technicians whose services are "of importance to our health care system."

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