The United States has announced plans to impose visa restrictions on several African leaders, with Kenya potentially among the countries affected, over the use of Cuban doctors in their healthcare systems.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed that the sanctions would target African, Cuban, and Grenadian government officials alleged to be complicit in what Washington called Cuba’s “coerced forced labour export scheme.”
Kenya was among the countries that benefited from the Cuban doctors’ programme, introduced in 2018 under the administration of then-President Uhuru Kenyatta. The initiative deployed dozens of Cuban specialists to Kenyan hospitals, while Kenyan doctors were sent to Cuba for training.
However, the agreement was brought to an end in 2023 after six years in operation. The Kenyan government cited the need to address challenges faced by local health workers, including high unemployment rates, as the reason for terminating the deal.
“The State Department is taking steps to impose visa restrictions on several African, Cuban, and Grenadian government officials complicit in the Cuban regime’s coerced forced labour export scheme,” the statement read. “We are committed to ending this practice. Countries that are complicit in this exploitative practice should think twice.”
According to the US government, the Cuban medical mission scheme involved sending doctors abroad at high prices, with the majority of the revenue retained by the Cuban authorities rather than the medics themselves. Washington said the practice enriches Cuba’s political elite while depriving citizens on the island of adequate medical care.
The statement urged participating governments to pay doctors directly for their services instead of channelling funds through the Cuban state, which the US described as “regime slave masters.”
The US also called on nations that support democracy and human rights to join efforts to confront what it described as the Cuban regime’s oppression. “The United States aims to support the Cuban people in their pursuit of freedom and dignity and promote accountability for those who perpetuate their exploitation,” the statement added.
While the list of targeted officials has not been made public, Washington signalled it would continue to 'engage governments' and take further action if necessary.
President Donald Trump’s administration had, in February, expanded visa restrictions to target officials linked to the Cuban medical programme, which has been in place since 1959 following the Cuban Revolution.
The long-running programme has been a key source of foreign currency for Cuba, which is facing an economic crisis marked by shortages and inflation.
Rubio described the programme as one where “medical professionals are ‘rented’ by other countries at high prices and most of the revenue is kept by the Cuban authorities.” He said it was a system that “enriches Cuban officials and deprives the Cuban people of essential medical care.”
