Rowley urges PM to clarify T&T’s position on Cuban doctors amid US pressure

2026-03-18 - 02:14

Lead Editor–Politics akash.samaroo@cnc3.co.tt Former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley is calling on the sitting Prime Minister to clearly state the Government’s position on the use of Cuban medical personnel in Trinidad and Tobago. The United States’ push for countries to end these programmes has intensified significantly over the last year, primarily under the direction of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The pressure is rooted in a mix of humanitarian allegations, geopolitical strategy and direct financial sanctions. After nearly 50 years of cooperation, Jamaica, in early March, officially discontinued the programme. The government cited “legal and labour concerns.” Similarly, other Caribbean countries have also made changes to their participation in the programme. Speaking with Guardian Media in an interview yesterday, Dr Rowley asked if Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s Government, given its close ties with the Trump administration, will follow suit. “Answer those questions to the country because you are the Prime Minister. Don’t hide from the population. Don’t hide from the press.” He said Health Minister Dr Lackram Bodoe should also step forward and speak. “Let him tell you, we have used the Cuban experiment. Cuba trains people, spending Cuban resources, and then sends these people abroad, gives them opportunity to be doctors and nurses and other healthcare givers. They go abroad, and they contribute back to the government to run the programme. Somebody come and tell you that is human trafficking.” US Secretary of State Rubio defined the programme as state-sponsored trafficking because the Cuban government allegedly garnishes 75 per cent to 90 per cent of the doctors’ wages to fund its military and state operations. However, Dr Rowley said, “Ever so often, people that we train here, pay to put them in school and whatever. When they become nurses, people come and recruit them and carry them across, carry them abroad, and put them in the hospital abroad. That’s been happening for decades. Is it that we are trafficking in humans?” During the Shields of the Americas Summit, Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers said the topic did not come up during the meeting in Doral, Florida, but he admitted it is engaging the attention of Cabinet.