Belize Scraps Decades-Old Cuban Medical Agreement
Belize is changing the way Cuban medical professionals work in the country, following concerns from the United States about human trafficking and workers’ rights. U.S. Ambassador Andre Bauer says the new arrangement will give each professional greater control over their passport, employment and earnings. The Government of Belize will now hire them through individual contracts as the decades-old Cuban Medical Brigade programe comes to an end.
Andre Bauer, US Ambassador
“Well, the US, a big thing for them is human trafficking. They want people to have control of their own identity and their own domain, and so, if another country is sending people out but keeping most of the money for the country and not actually compensating the people for doing their work and they have their passports, that’s important to our country and we want to make sure that people are treated fairly and right. So, that’s why they took this, the President and the Secretary of State. This was a big issue for them, to make sure that human trafficking, on any level, is unacceptable. So, we’re very pleased that Belize has worked with us on this, trying to resolve this issue, trying to give these people that are providing a service that we desperately need, that they are free in doing so.”
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