Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith (Photo: JIS)
March 20, 2025
No evidence of human trafficking in Cuban medical corporation programme, says Johnson Smith
KINGSTON, Jamaica— Jamaica’s foreign ministry had undertaken a review of the Cuban medical cooperation programme long before any international scrutiny surfaced and, it could not be found to involve human trafficking, said Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith on Thursday.
While a review process was progressing well and there could be administrative improvements Kingston was “confident in the integrity of this programme,” said Johnson Smith of the 50-year-strong medical mission partnership between Jamaica and Cuba.
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“We continue to engage diplomatically, including discussions with the Cuban foreign minister, the current head of the US Embassy and of course between Caricom foreign ministers, to exchange perspectives and ensure the best understanding and outcomes of this matter,” the minister said.
Her statement on Thursday came days after United States (US) President Donald Trump threatened to cancel the visas of any government officials as well as their immediate family members from countries still partnering with Cuba for their medical missions programme.
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The president had alleged that the programme facilitated the exploitation of Cuban medical personnel.
Jamaica’s non-adversarial handling of this matter reflects not only our practice of diplomacy but the strength of our bilateral relationships with both Cuba and the United States,” Johnson Smith said.
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Several Caribbean leaders have taken a far firmer stance to the threats from the Trump Administration with Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Keith Rowley, then-Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago and Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados, indicating their readiness to cast away their US visas to support the longstanding medical programme. Thousands of Cuban nurses provide critical care across the Caribbean including in Jamaica, and have been for years.
In Jamaica, that partnership goes back to 1976 and while the memorandum of understanding is being reviewed for renewal, Johnson-Smith has expressed her confidence in it.
“Given the MOU’s expiration last year, we had already begun a review process before international concerns were raised. While we have identified a few areas for alignment with our own overseas labour programmes, we are confident that the Cuban programme is a legitimate bilateral cooperation programme, not an example of trafficking,” Johnson Smith said.
She defended the government’s diplomatic approach as one that had “generally led to constructive engagement and productive outcomes on challenging issues.”
