By| Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News|
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — The political fallout over the termination of the Cuban Medical Brigade intensified on Friday, March 6, 2026, as the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party threw its weight behind civil society demands for an immediate reversal of the decision. Joining the chorus of activists who petitioned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, WIN Members of Parliament warned that “expelling” the Cuban doctors will push Guyana’s already fragile healthcare system into a total collapse.
WIN General Secretary Odessa Primus and Dr. Ryan Richards (MP) characterized the move as a dangerous gamble with Guyanese lives, driven more by international geopolitics than by local medical needs.
A “Labor Deficit” and Systemic Gaps
Dr. Ryan Richards argued that the government is removing a vital pillar of support without a viable plan to fill the resulting vacuum.
- Specialist Shortages: Dr. Richards highlighted that the local health sector is currently facing a shortage of specialists. He noted that even in major towns like Linden, critical care is lacking. “We don’t even have a nephrologist there… we had a urologist come probably once a month,” he stated, questioning how the state can let go of the Cuban brigade when local specialty care is so thin.
- Staffing the “Empty” Hospitals: The WIN MP challenged the government’s focus on building new physical hospitals while failing to staff existing ones. He noted that patients are still being transferred in large numbers to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), which itself is struggling with severe staff shortages.
- Labor Migration: Dr. Richards blamed the shortage on poor incentives, noting that Guyanese doctors are fleeing for better opportunities abroad, leaving the nation heavily reliant on foreign missions like the Cuban brigade.
The Question of Sovereignty and Inequality
General Secretary Odessa Primus echoed the sentiments of civil society activists, suggesting the government is yielding to U.S. pressure at the expense of its own people.
- Immeasurable Contribution: Primus lauded the decades of service provided by Cuban doctors, who have often worked in the most remote areas of Guyana.
- Pay Disparities: She raised concerns about the “handsome” rewards given to foreign doctors from countries such as Bangladesh and other Asian nations, while local Guyanese healthcare professionals and the outgoing Cuban mission have not received similar levels of incentives or support.
- “Breaking the Broken”: Primus was blunt in her assessment of the current administration’s management. “The government is breaking a broken system with absolutely no way of fixing it,” she lamented.
Healthcare Crisis Indicators (2026)
The WIN party identified several “symptoms” of the deeper systemic vulnerabilities currently affecting the nation:
| Issue | Current Status / WIN Allegation |
| Medical Supplies | Ongoing reports of essential medication shortages. |
| Referral System | Over-reliance on GPHC due to lack of specialists in regional hospitals. |
| Human Resources | High brain drain of local doctors; expulsion of the Cuban Brigade. |
| Infrastructure | “Poorly equipped” new hospitals lacking “super-specialists.” |
The Path to March 27
The pressure on President Irfaan Ali is mounting ahead of his scheduled meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Miami on March 27, 2026. Critics argue that the termination of the brigade is a “gift” to the U.S. administration to ease tensions, but the WIN party insists that the price—the health of the Guyanese public—is far too high.
“A gap has been created, and the government has to find a way to fill it. It is going to put a certain strain on the healthcare system even further.” — Dr. Ryan Richards, MP
