Antigua and Barbuda rejects US claims of ‘human-trafficking’ re: Cuban medical brigades

Antigua and Barbuda is not involved in any way in human trafficking as the new
United States Administration has described the use of Cuban doctors and nurses in
health systems across the Caribbean and Latin America.

Speaking on the Browne and Browne show on Saturday, Prime Minister Gaston
Browne explained that Antigua and Barbuda, as a matter of policy, has always
stayed away from getting involved in US policies regarding other countries but in
areas where these policies affect the country, he will speak out.

“The US must understand that these Cuban medical personnel represent the core of our health care services within the Caribbean. We are not involved in any illegal activities, any human trafficking and we totally reject that notion that we are involved in any human trafficking,” PM Browne declared.

According to the prime minister the Cuban doctors, nurses and technicians are
being paid and he suggested a willingness to review the payment mechanism as
something ‘we can look at’.

However, he expressed the view that the attitude of the US government in the matter is at ‘face value’, an over-reach.

“This extra-territorial positioning, articulation and threat; I don’t think that this is
the route that we ought to go. I believe that CARICOM countries and US officials
can have a discussion on how we can structure payments going forward. I don’t see
the need for them to threaten us.”

Adding, “We are sovereign countries and even though we are small and powerless they ought to respect our sovereignty. We are not trying to do anything to hurt our neighbour to the north; in fact, that is the most important relationship for practically all of CARICOM countries and we are inextricably linked in that we have the largest Caribbean diaspora in the United States,” he observed.

PM Browne reiterated that Antigua and Barbuda has no interest in any acrimony
with the US, while at the same time, he suggests that the US should treat the
Caribbean states with ‘some degree’ of respect rather that threatening the region
over such a critical issue as the survival of their healthcare systems.

“If they were to take punitive action because of the presence of Cuban medical
personnel in our healthcare systems, it would practically dismantle these systems
across the region,” he emphasized.