Source: www.caribbean360.com, Editor, First Published May 18th, 2026
Jamaica formally ended its five-decade medical cooperation agreement with Cuba in early March 2026, following the expiration of the previous arrangement in February 2023 and months of failed renegotiations.
The Jamaican Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Kingston had been approaching Havana since July 2025, proposing a restructured deal that would allow doctors to receive salaries directly and retain their passports — conditions it described as necessary to comply with Jamaican labour law and international conventions.
Cuba did not respond to the proposal, and the government announced the programme’s discontinuation shortly after.
At the time of the agreement’s end, 278 Cuban doctors were deployed across Jamaica’s public health system. Of those, 42 have accepted individual contracts to remain — roughly 15% of the original cohort.
Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, speaking at a press briefing at the IDB Building in New Kingston, confirmed the figure and noted that additional doctors had expressed interest in returning on individual terms, with an open invitation extended.
He also revealed that some Cuban doctors who have lived in Jamaica for five or more years have applied for permanent residency under existing immigration law.
Service disruptions have followed. The Cuban Eye Care Programme at St Joseph’s Hospital slowed considerably after the departure of the majority of its staff. Tufton acknowledged gaps in radiology and other specialist services.
To address the shortfall, Jamaica has signed a memorandum of understanding with India — formalised during Indian Foreign Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s state visit — and is in active discussions with Ghana and Nigeria.
- Jamaica ended its 50-year medical cooperation agreement with Cuba in early March 2026 • The previous agreement had expired in February 2023 • Jamaica approached Cuba from July 2025 with a restructured proposal; Cuba did not respond • 278 Cuban doctors were deployed in Jamaica at the time of the agreement’s end • 42 doctors (roughly 15%) accepted individual contracts to remain • Additional Cuban doctors expressed interest in returning on individual terms • Some doctors with 5+ years in Jamaica have applied for permanent residency • The Cuban Eye Care Programme at St Joseph’s Hospital experienced significant slowdowns • Gaps reported in radiology and specialist cancer services • Jamaica signed an MOU with India and is in discussions with Ghana and Nigeria.
The numbers tell a stark story: 278 Cuban doctors served Jamaica’s public health system; 42 remain. That 85% departure rate is not a transition — it is a collapse in slow motion, landing hardest on patients who can least absorb it.
The Cuban Eye Care Programme at St Joseph’s Hospital is already operating at reduced capacity, with only 6 of 18 Cuban staff staying on and services now consolidated with Kingston Public Hospital. Radiology and cancer care are similarly exposed. Meanwhile, Jamaican doctors continue emigrating for higher salaries abroad — the same structural drain that made Cuban cooperation necessary in the first place.
For Jamaica’s 2.8 million people — already contending with a growing non-communicable disease burden and a life expectancy of just 72.4 years — an MOU with India and ongoing talks with Ghana and Nigeria are not a healthcare plan. They are a holding statement.
Predictions: • Waiting times for ophthalmology and radiology services at public facilities will increase measurably within 90 days if replacement doctors are not deployed • At least one additional Caribbean government will face similar pressure to end Cuban medical cooperation agreements before end of 2026 • India’s MOU with Jamaica will produce a pilot deployment of rotating specialists, but full-scale replacement of Cuban numbers is unlikely within 12 months.
