JAMAICA'S Cuban Dilemma: Ignorance, Imbecility, or Complicity? Questions Patrick A. Beckford
The Cuban medical brigade which has worked with Jamaica for the better part of fifty years have reluctantly left Jamaica with a heavy heart.
NEW JERSEY, United States, March 30, 2026 - For weeks I stayed silent. But silence in the face of suffering is complicity.
Mr. Patrick A. Beckford is a former representative of the North East Diaspora in the United States.
Let’s be clear: Jamaica is short on doctors. Our people are hurting. And your response is arrogance?
You boast about “Christian values” when it suits you—especially to condemn others—yet when it comes to caring for the sick, the vulnerable, the poor… compassion disappears.
Palm Sunday reminds us: The same crowd that shouts “Hosanna” can quickly turn its back.
For over 50 years, Cuban doctors have served Jamaica—quietly, consistently, and sacrificially—reaching communities many of you will never visit.
And now, with no proper plan, no transition, no respect—you remove them?
That is not leadership. That is betrayal.
I grew up in Falmouth. I saw the impact of Cuban partnership—healthcare, housing, education. Many of us benefited. Many of us became something because of it.
So spare us the tired anti-socialist rhetoric while quietly bowing to neo-colonial pressures.
And let’s talk truth: Some of you laughing in Parliament can jump on a flight “up north” for care anytime. The average Jamaican cannot.
That’s the difference. That’s the injustice.
So while you sit comfortably at Champs, applauding our young athletes—our future Olympians—remember: Who helped build the systems that made that excellence possible?
And why have you allowed so much to crumble—including basic infrastructure like proper training facilities?
Ignorance can be corrected.Imbecility can be challenged.
But complicity? That must be exposed. History is watching. And it will not be kind.
Patrick A Beckford OD
New Jersey
