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Vice President of Guyana, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, speaking at the Guyana Energy Conference and Supply Chain Expo. (Via CMC)
GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC -The Guyana government says it will be implementing new conditions under which Cuban health professionals will be employed here as it plans to embark on the “aggressive” recruitment of foreign nurses to work at several new hospitals that are being built across the country.
“We’re recruiting people from around the world, not confined to Cuba but we’re working to ensure that people who come here from Cuba that they meet the definition because of what the US Secretary of State mentioned that the conditions of work here don’t run afoul of the requirements set by the United States of America,” Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo told his weekly news conference.
Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries have defended the Cuban health brigade programme after Washington announced the expansion of an existing Cuba-related visa restriction policy that targets “forced labour” linked to the Cuban labour export programme.
US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said this expanded policy applies to current or former Cuban government officials and other individuals, including foreign government officials, who are believed to be responsible for or involved in the Cuban labour export programme, particularly Cuba’s overseas medical missions.
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants who left Cuba in pursuit of the American dream, said that the new policy also applies to the immediate family of those people supporting the Cuban programme.
“The department has already taken steps to impose visa restrictions on several individuals, including Venezuelans, under this expanded policy,” he added.
Immediately after the US’ concerns, the Guyana government had asked Washington to provide proof that Cuban healthcare workers’ rights were being violated here.
Guyana has engaged the Chinese pharmaceutical company, Sinopharm, and several others to construct six hospitals along the coastland and the interior, and Jagdeo said the government hoped to hire more Guyanese nurses, pay them higher salaries and improve their working conditions.
He acknowledged that Georgetown would be embarking on the “aggressive” recruitment of foreigners to fill the positions at the new hospitals.
“Right now, we don’t have enough healthcare personnel to offer the expanded level of services that would come through the opening of these new hospitals,” he added.
