Guyana looking for “common ground” with US on Cuban health workers – Pres. Ali

President Dr Irfaan Ali has stated Guyana is looking to work with the United States authorities to find “common ground” on its recent restrictions on Cuban health workers.

Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of an event today, President Ali said that this issue will be raised with US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, during his visit here next week as part of a three-nation Caribbean tour.

“So, I think it’s a great opportunity for us to expand on the magnitude of the human capital problem we have in the region and in the healthcare system itself, and to find common ground with the US,” Ali noted.

Last month, Rubio announced a decision to place visa restrictions on officials believed to be involved in the export of Cuban workers – a move that has been strongly criticised by Caribbean leaders.

The Guyana Government has already informed the US authorities that all foreign workers here, including Cubans, are employed under strict local labour laws as well as in compliance with international labour laws.

According to the Guyanese Head of State, “Our position [is] to find common ground. I don’t see abandoning Cuba as part of the equation. The equation is not surrounding a country, it’s surrounding an issue… Here in Guyana, the US is a strong reliable partner of ours and we want to ensure that that partnership continues to be strengthened, and that partnership results in a win-win situation for Guyana and the US and the region.”

President Ali went on to highlight the crucial role that foreign medical professionals, especially Cubans, play not just in Guyana but in the Caribbean’s healthcare system as well.

Grappling with large-scale migration of trained medical professionals to developed countries like the US, United Kingdom and Canada, the Guyanese Leader noted that most Caribbean nations heavily depend on Cuban health workers due to the lack of adequate human capital locally.

Nevertheless, he added that Guyana has also requested information from the US government to better understand its position on this matter and to ascertain whether Guyana is in any breach so that actions can be taken to remedy this.

“The US is contending that, with the information that is before them, they don’t believe that the Cuban health brigade system is following the international best practices and laws and so on. So, when we listen to the US, we’ll have a better appreciation for the information that they have before them,” the President said.