DOMINICA | Caribbean Nations Stand Firm on Cuban Medical Aid Despite U.S. Pressure

ROSEAU, Dominica, March 19, 2025 - In a defiant stance against mounting U.S. diplomatic pressure, Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit declared his country would not abandon Cuba's vital medical missions program, asserting that "Dominica is not in a position to give it up."

Speaking at a press conference Monday, Skerrit joined a growing chorus of Caribbean leaders refusing to bend to threats from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who announced visa restrictions targeting officials supporting what he controversially labeled Cuba's "forced labor" medical program.

"In Dominica's case, the Cuban Healthcare Program is too crucial for survival of the healthcare system and the provision of care and treatment of all Dominicans," Skerrit stated, drawing a line in the diplomatic sand. "If at the end of the day we would not be allowed to come to the United States because we decided to stay, if they tell us to end it, we will not end it."

The diplomatic row intensified last month when Rubio unveiled a policy aimed at imposing visa restrictions on current or former Cuban officials allegedly involved in what the U.S. characterizes as the "exploitation of Cuban workers" through overseas medical missions.

For Caribbean nations facing chronic healthcare shortages, however, the Cuban partnership represents a lifeline rather than exploitation. Approximately 24,180 Cuban doctors currently serve in 56 countries worldwide, significantly bolstering medical infrastructure in regions with limited resources.

Jamaica's Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith recently highlighted this reality, noting that her nation hosts over 400 Cuban medical professionals whose contributions are "of importance to our health care system."

Skerrit framed the standoff as an ultimatum that requires no deliberation. "It is a choice I would have to make between the people of Dominica and a Visa," he remarked. "I do not think I would have to go to bed to think about which one I would choose. I have given my entire life to Dominica, 25 years in politics."

While maintaining his resolute position, the Prime Minister expressed willingness to engage in dialogue on the program's implementation. "What is right, what is wrong, what can we fix, what can we improve, and so on, but I don't think it should come to a point of making choices," Skerrit noted. "That's a humanitarian situation that Cuba is helping countries with."

The confrontation highlights a deeper healthcare crisis facing the Caribbean, as Skerrit pointed out. "Our doctors are being recruited by North America, Canada, the United States, and the UK. Our nurses are being recruited by them," he revealed. "We spend millions of dollars training people, and people leave."

This brain drain creates an impossible equation for small island nations: "You can only have so many people available to serve and what do you do? You have challenges, you have people who need care, you have people who need treatment... Do you say you are not going to take it from Cuba because somebody said we should not?"

Skerrit emphasized that no exploitation occurs within Dominica's arrangement with Cuba. "We are not engaged in any forced labor," he insisted, noting that many Cuban medical professionals have built permanent lives in Dominica after completing their missions.

The Prime Minister cautioned against allowing the dispute to damage broader U.S.-Caribbean relations, urging instead for "transparent, sincere dialogue" to help U.S. officials understand the critical importance of the program to Caribbean healthcare systems.

As this diplomatic tug-of-war unfolds, the standoff represents more than a policy disagreement—it highlights the ongoing tension between Caribbean sovereignty and U.S. influence in a region where healthcare infrastructure remains precarious and dependent on international cooperation.

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