By Sir Ronald Sanders, Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and OAS — Saturday, June 20, 2020
Three US Senators — Marco Rubio, Rick Scott and Ted Cruz — are proposing US government punishment for Caribbean countries that request assistance from Cuba for medical personnel. On June 17, the Senators introduced the “Cut Profits to the Cuban Regime Act,” which, if adopted, will penalise any government worldwide that contracts with the Cuban government for the provision of medical personnel.
Caribbean countries have had no experience that substantiates Senator Scott’s claim that Cuban medical personnel are “forced labour.” Cuban medical personnel have conducted themselves with professionalism, integrating well with local medical teams and passing on their knowledge and experience.
Had the three Senators consulted Caribbean representatives first, they would have learned that for many countries the presence of Cuban medical personnel has made a huge and beneficial difference to their capacity to manage COVID-19. Without Cuban medical personnel, the medical system of several Caribbean countries would have collapsed. The US itself, despite all its great resources, found it difficult to respond to the pandemic’s demands on its public health system.
Cuba has provided Caribbean countries with medical assistance for over 30 years; the present contingent of Cuban personnel is not a new development. Until and unless other governments step up to help, Caribbean governments will be constrained to get assistance from where they can, including Cuba. A Caribbean conversation with the Senators would be welcome.