Cuba’s Ambassador to Guyana, Jorge Francisco Soberon Luis, has indicated that his country stands willing to continue medical cooperation with Guyana and other countries in the Caribbean, but he explained that in the case of Guyana, the failure to conclude a new agreement resulted in the withdrawal of the Cuban Medical Mission here.

“We were willing then and we are willing now to continue medical cooperation with Guyana,” Ambassador Soberon Luis said in an interview that will air this Sunday on SOURCES.

In March, Guyana’s Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony, said the Government of Guyana was in talks with the Cuban Authorities when the Cuban Government took a decision to withdraw the Cuban Medical Brigade from Guyana, bringing an abrupt end to the more than 48-year-long arrangement between the two countries.

But in the interview with SOURCES, Ambassador Soberon Luis said “a standing agreement,” which was signed by the two countries in 2023, was in place when the Government of Guyana initiated a review. He said though there were discussions on a number of proposed changes to the agreement, Cuba did not receive approval for the new agreement.

“We had an agreement. It was a standing agreement that was being implemented. At some point, there was an intention to make changes to the agreement. We were engaged in interactions with regards to changes to the agreement but we did not receive approval for a new agreement,” the Cuban Ambassador explained.

That approval, according to Ambassador Soberon Luis, needed to come from the Guyana of Guyana.

He said it was never Cuba’s intention to bring an end to the Mission, explaining that since the start of 2025, the United States has been pressuring countries within Latin America and the Caribbean to end their medical cooperation with Cuba based on “unfounded claims” of forced labour and human trafficking.

“It is not, and it was not our intention to terminate the agreement. As I explained, we were discussing a new agreement but we did not receive approval for a new agreement. It has been our policy; it continues to be our policy that we offer medical cooperation to any country that is interested in partnering with Cuba for receiving medical services – that has not change. So, we continue to be willing to discuss cooperation in the area of medical services with Guyana and with other countries – that has not change,” the Cuban Ambassador said.

Stating that Cuba stands ready to recommence negotiations with the Government of Guyana, the Cuban envoy said over the years, the Cuban Medical Missions have had a profound impact on Guyana’s Healthcare System.

“During this period, according to information from our Ministry of Health in Cuba, our medical personnel took care of, over 49 years, over 10 million patients. And they performed over 280,000 surgeries over half a century. And 60,000 and more children were born with the presence of Cuban medical personnel. And hundreds of lives were saved during this period because of emergency services that were rendered in life threatening situation, meaning in the area of healthcare. Also, when it comes to eye care, according to statistics from our Ministry of Health, more than 25,000 surgeries were performed in this area. So, it means that the magnitude, the impact of our medical mission here in Guyana was very big,” Ambassador Soberon Luis said.

With no agreement in place, the Guyana Government has opted to hire medical personnel directly from Cuba, but Ambassador Soberon Luis said there are benefits to the Medical Cooperation between the two nations.

Jamaica is the latest country within the Latin America and the Caribbean to terminate its medical cooperation programme with Cuba.

In 2025, the US had threatened to revoke or restrict visas from some African, Caribbean and Brazilian officials who Washington contended, at the time, had ties to the Cuban Medical Programme, which allows for Cuban Medical Personnel to work in foreign jurisdictions. US has expressed concern over perceived labour violations by the Cuban authorities. Since the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the US has heaping pressure on Cuba. (Svetlana Marshall)

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