Health Secretary uncertain about Cuban medics’ future in Tobago

2026-03-26 - 02:54

Tobago Correspondent Secretary of Health, Wellness and Social Protection Dr Faith Brebnor remains in the dark about the future of Cuban medics in Tobago. Brebnor told Guardian Media yesterday that central government is the sole authority to engage the Cuban mission, and she was not privy to any decision on the matter. “I am not aware of the national policy,” she said. The Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA) currently employs five members of the Cuban Medical Brigade – one doctor and four nurses. However, several others who have completed their contracts with the Cuban government are employed independently. A Cuban medic told Guardian Media on Tuesday that the contracts for many members of the Medical Brigade are set to expire in June. The healthcare worker said the Government has remained silent on whether it would be renewing the agreements. However, the worker said all the medics are keen to stay and earn a living to help their relatives back home. The United States has been pressuring Caribbean nations to cancel the programme and threatened the revocation of visas for non-compliance. The US has condemned the medical mission as exploitative and claimed the longstanding Cuban “medical diplomacy” was in fact human trafficking. Addressing the issue yesterday, Brebnor said, “As much as we (Tobago House of Assembly) are autonomous to some degree, we are guided by national policy...We cannot go ahead and decide we are gonna employ the Cubans if the national policy is not to do so.” Jamaica and Guyana have already cancelled the Cuban missions despite each utilising the service for almost 50 years. Brebnor said there are independent arrangements that can be made with the medical professionals if expressed permission is granted. “There may be possibilities where a Cuban national may get authorisation to be employed in Tobago and then apply for employment in the TRHA.” Innovative Democratic Alliance political leader and medical doctor Dr Denise Tsoiafatt Angus has warned that losing the Cubans could hinder the quality of national healthcare. She said many Cuban doctors are hired for specialist positions including maxillofacial surgeons, crucial for trauma and cancer patients, and wondered who would provide those unique skills in their absence. On whether healthcare would be affected if the Cubans have to leave, Brebnor said, “We are always in need of competent medical professionals, and us getting them from wherever we can get them has to be our priority.” Efforts to contact Health Minister Dr Lackram Bodoe for a comment yesterday were unsuccessful.