Bahamas to Pay Cuban Doctors Directly Following Pressure from Marco Rubio

The Bahamian government has decided to compensate Cuban doctors directly for their services in the country, according to official sources. This decision follows pressure from the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump and particularly from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has consistently criticized agreements allowing Cuba to send healthcare professionals abroad.

During a press conference at the Diplomatic Lounge of Lynden Pindling International Airport, Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis announced that his administration is renegotiating labor agreements with Cuba and will pay foreign workers hired by the government directly, as reported by The Nassau Guardian. Davis explained that this initiative is part of an effort to ensure foreign workers are not subjected to forced labor.

"We were able to assure them, and I believe they were satisfied, that we are not knowingly involved in forced labor," Davis stated in a meeting with Rubio last Monday. The Bahamian prime minister emphasized that he is unaware of any forced labor involving Cubans in his country. While no evidence has been found, he mentioned that efforts are ongoing to identify any elements of forced labor related to workers in the Bahamas.

"If we discover such practices, we will address them," Davis remarked, acknowledging that the practice of "sharing an employee's salary with a government could be perceived in that manner." His announcement comes in response to visa sanctions imposed in February by Marco Rubio against governments engaging in Cuban medical missions, which he has labeled as a form of modern slavery.

Furthermore, Davis noted that all memorandums of understanding concerning Cuban labor are being renegotiated, similar to agreements with other nations like the Philippines. He concluded by highlighting that Caribbean leaders have requested the U.S. to share any information regarding forced labor to handle the situation appropriately.

A report by the Archivo Cuba project, based on unofficially leaked contracts, revealed that the Havana regime retains between 83.9% and 91.6% of the funds paid by the Bahamas for each Cuban healthcare professional. Cuban collaborators only receive a small monthly stipend, while the majority of payments are directed to the Comercializadora de Servicios Médicos Cubanos (CSMC), a Cuban state entity.

For instance, contracts specify that the Bahamas pays up to $12,000 monthly for each "medical specialist advisor," of which only $1,200 reaches the worker. In the case of health technicians or computer engineers, the Caribbean nation disburses $5,000 per month, but the Cuban professional receives merely $990. Additional benefits such as housing, transportation, medical insurance, English courses, and administrative expenses inflate the overall cost of each worker beyond the local average salary. Currently, more than 100 Cubans are employed in Bahamian hospitals and health institutions such as the Princess Margaret and the Rand Memorial.

The report also exposes that many professionals face restrictive clauses preventing them from accepting independent contracts, requiring confidentiality, and even exposing them to disciplinary actions from Cuba. It also points out instances of working without valid immigration permits and the obligation to participate in political demonstrations organized by the Cuban embassy.