Cuban Nurses to Return to Jamaica with Individual Contracts
The new group of 50 nurses will join the 40 health workers who chose not to return to the Island and instead signed directly with the Jamaican government.
HAVANA TIMES — Jamaica’s Health Minister, Chris Tufton announced this weekend that about 50 Cuban nurses will return to the country to help address its shortage of healthcare personnel. If that number is confirmed, the total number of Cuban medical workers joining Jamaica’s healthcare system through individual contracts would approach one hundred.
The agreement under which the Cuban government supplied healthcare professionals to Jamaica while retaining most of the payment was terminated in March after the two sides failed to reach a renewal agreement that complied with Washington’s requirements. At the time, healthcare cooperation between the two countries had lasted half a century. Although the last contract had expired in 2023, nearly 300 Cuban workers remained in the Caribbean nation awaiting an extension.
Since March 2025, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has pressured governments maintaining contracts with Cuba for the export of medical services to end those agreements. Washington argued—based on complaints from workers and various international organizations—that the arrangements amounted to a form of labor exploitation and violated workers’ rights, while the broader objective was to cut off the significant flow of foreign currency that the export of medical personnel provides to the Cuban regime.
During a visit to Kingston, Rubio sought to persuade Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who initially tried to avoid the issue, saying that his government took “great care not to exploit Cuban doctors.” Gradually, however, the situation began to change.
Jamaica, which is in great need of healthcare workers, spent weeks trying to persuade Havana to accept new terms that would satisfy US concerns. The proposal was to establish individual contracts that would formally exclude the Cuban government. But no agreement could be reached.
“The Government of Jamaica has decided to suspend the current agreement governing the deployment of medical professionals by the Government of Cuba in the public health sector,” the Foreign Ministry said last March.
“This follows the inability of both governments to agree on the terms and conditions of a new technical cooperation agreement after the previous one expired in February 2023,” the statement continued. Nevertheless, Kingston left the door wide open for the specialists to remain on the island.
“In the interest of maintaining the valuable services provided by the Cuban medical professionals currently in the country, and for their personal security and well-being, the Government of Jamaica has expressed the willingness of the Ministry of Health and Wellness to engage these medical professionals individually, in accordance with local labor laws,” the statement added.
A total of 40 nurses accepted that offer, Tufton himself revealed shortly afterward in a May interview. The Health Minister said there were 278 Cuban health workers in Jamaica when the agreement ended.
“Of that number, 40 decided not to return [to Cuba] and were given individual contracts. They are now working in the system,” he said.
“Everyone was given a letter informing them that, if they were interested, we would be willing to re-engage them based on their own interests, but through individual contracts. Some have expressed interest in doing so, even though they have already returned [to Cuba]. So yes, there is an open invitation, which we have extended, and we have received indications that some are interested. If they come, we will be ready to welcome them,” he added.
This Saturday, while stating that around 50 Cubans were expected to return, Tufton added that healthcare professionals from other countries had also expressed interest. These include individuals from Ghana, as well as professionals from Nigeria, India, and Philippines through agreements with Jamaica.
The breakdown of the agreement between Jamaica and Cuba created a small rift between the two countries. While the Cuban government accused Jamaica of yielding to US pressure by ending the medical mission, Jamaica maintained that Havana had ignored its proposals for direct payment to the workers and instead chose to withdraw the entire team. Jamaica’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said in March that it was “disappointed” by the outcome.
Washington’s pressure has led most countries that had contracted Cuban healthcare workers through the Cuban state to terminate their agreements. These included Honduras, Guatemala, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Guyana, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. For now, Mexico, several countries in the Persian Gulf, and the Calabria region of Italy continue to maintain their arrangements.
First published in Spanish by 14ymedio and translated and posted in English by Havana Times.