The U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown has criticized Cuba’s overseas medical program in the Caribbean, describing it as an expensive arrangement that places financial and ethical burdens on participating countries.
In a social media post, the embassy said Caribbean governments pay high fees to the Cuban government to hire medical professionals—often more than they pay their own local doctors—rejecting the notion that the program is a humanitarian gift.
According to the embassy, payments are frequently made directly to the Cuban government, which it claims retains between 80 and 95 percent of doctors’ salaries. The arrangement was described as a “modern-day forced labor scheme” funded by local taxpayers.
The embassy said the program comes at a high cost not only financially, but also in terms of human dignity and morality, arguing that doctors receive only a fraction of what host countries pay for their services.
The United States said it stands with those affected and will continue efforts to end what it described as exploitative labor practices by the Cuban government.
