HGP Nightly News – The narrative around the end of Guyana’s decades-long medical partnership with Cuba has shifted, with Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony clarifying that it was Havana, not Georgetown, that terminated the agreement. In an interview with News Source on Monday, Anthony set the record straight amid ongoing public debate over the withdrawal of Cuban medical personnel.
“We have been engaging the Cuban authorities and they chose to terminate or withdraw the Cuban doctors who were here,” Dr. Anthony said. “So that’s the first thing I want to make clear. The Cubans have withdrawn their medical workers who were here.” The withdrawal took place in February 2026, bringing a close to a medical cooperation agreement that had lasted more than 48 years.
In 2023, the two countries had renewed their commitment with a new Medical Cooperation Agreement signed by Anthony and Cuba’s Ambassador to Guyana, Jorge Francisco Soberón Luis. The context for the split is complex. Cuban medical missions have faced increased scrutiny from the United States in recent years, particularly during the first Trump administration, when visa sanctions were imposed on Cuba’s global medical programme.
Washington has long alleged that Cuban doctors are underpaid and have limited freedoms, a characterization Havana rejects. But Anthony’s latest clarification stands in contrast to his own statements just one month prior. On February 9, the minister had indicated that Guyana formally ended the bilateral arrangement, arguing it was no longer necessary since Cuban doctors were now arriving independently to seek employment.
“There is no reason. We have Cuban doctors that are coming to Guyana now, they come independently, so we employ them. So there’s no need for the agreement,” he said at the time. Now, Anthony is emphasizing compliance with domestic law as the guiding principle. “This country has labour laws, and those laws allow people to be employed and receive their salaries. We can’t break any rules that we have in our country,” he said.
“So we have been following those rules, which are consistent with what the US government has been asking.” Following the withdrawal of the formal Cuban medical brigade, the government has moved to directly hire Cuban medical personnel who wish to remain or work in the country.
These individuals must be properly qualified and certified by Guyana’s Medical Council and Nursing Council before being offered employment. A number of healthcare professionals have already taken up positions within the public health system, including some who were previously part of the Cuban brigade and chose to stay.
The minister could not provide exact figures but noted that “quite a number of persons” have made the transition. Anthony also pushed back against concerns that the withdrawal has weakened Guyana’s healthcare system, pointing to expanded local training programmes. A registered nursing programme launched three years ago is expected to graduate close to 800 nurses by June, helping to fill gaps left by departing Cuban staff.
The government is also exploring recruitment from other Caribbean nations. “We are still in discussions with Trinidad because we understood that they had about 400 doctors who weren’t finding jobs in Trinidad,” Anthony said. Despite these assurances, the end of the Cuban medical brigade has drawn sharp criticism. On March 5, a delegation of concerned Guyanese delivered a letter to President Irfaan Ali and Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd, demanding an immediate reversal of the decision to terminate the Cuban Medical Brigade’s services.
