Marco Rubio keeps attacking Cuban doctors programs – Caribbean leaders keep pushing back

Marco Rubio keeps attacking Cuba’s medical missions – and Caribbean leaders keep pushing back. During his Caribbean tour, Rubio claimed Cuban doctors are treated as “forced labor.” Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Stuart R. Young rejected this characterization.

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U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio says: This is not about doctors okay this is not about the provision of medical assistance we have no problem with medical assistance we have no problem with doctors.

I'm just talking about this program in general how it's operated around the world and how it's operated around the world is that basically the doctors are not paid, Rubio added.

You pay the Cuban government the Cuban government decides how much of anything to give them they take away their passports um, they basically operate as forced labor uh, in in many places, he criticized.

Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, states: Let us be clear uh the Cuban doctors in Jamaica have been incredibly helpful to us. Jamaica has a deficit in health personnel primarily because many of our health personnel have migrated to other countries we are however very careful not to exploit the Cuban doctors who are here we ensure that they are treated within our labor laws and benefits like any other worker so any characterization of the program uh by others certainly would not be applicable to Jamaica. 

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Stuart R. Young express:

We actually help the Cuban medical practitioners that are contracted with Trinidad and Tobago just to give you all an idea set up their own personal bank accounts here in Trinidad and Tobago and that is where the government pays their salaries so.

We provide for example passage for them to come and at the end of their contract to leave we provide for vacation in between we don't have anything to do with their passports they hold on to their passports, Young asserts.

I think we have about 87 nurses and nine medical doctors the answer is yes we will continue with it there's only one last you know, he announces.