United States President Donald Trump's administration has warned nations against entering into agreements with the Cuban government to hire its doctors.
The United States Department of State, in a statement on Monday, April 7, accused the Cuban government of allegedly violating human rights by unfairly benefitting from the proceeds of the medical missions at the expense of the country's healthcare professionals.
According to the US Department of State, Cuban medical missions, which once worked in Kenya, were not humanitarian assistance as alleged but were exploitative schemes by the Cuban government.
As per Trump's administration, the exploitative schemes disguised as health missions were a form of forced labour on Cuban medical staff who were forced to travel to various countries against their will.
The US government further revealed that the Cuban government confiscated up to 95 per cent of workers' wages, restricted their movement, and further threatened those who tried to quit the health missions.
"Cuba's medical missions are not humanitarian assistance: The program is exploitative and shows strong evidence of forced labor. The Cuban regime confiscates up to 95 per cent of workers' wages, restricts their movement, and threatens those who try to leave," read part of a statement by the US Department of State.
It is not the first time the Cuban government has been on the receiving end over the health missions. On March 27, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised officials attached to the Cuban health programme, accusing them of alleged human trafficking and labour exploitation.
The United States government even threatened to deny visas to officials tied to the programme unless they complied with international labour laws.
It is worth noting that Kenya is among the countries in the spotlight for hiring Cuban doctors. In 2017, former President Uhuru Kenyatta's regime signed a controversial agreement with Cuba for the hiring of 100 doctors.
Despite harsh criticism from a section of members of parliament and Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) officials, Uhuru's administration went ahead to dispatch the foreign doctors to various hospitals across the country at the expense of the taxpayers' money.
KMPDU condemned the government for the foreign hirings, with the union officials stating that the money used to pay the Cuban doctors high salaries could have been used to hire Kenyan doctors.
However, in October 2023, President Ruto's government declined to renew the 6-year-old deal. The announcement was made by former Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha.
