Mexico Defends Cuban Doctor Program Despite U.S. Pressure, Other Nations Backing Out

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Wednesday that her country will maintain its partnership with Cuban medical professionals despite growing U.S. pressure and other nations ending similar agreements. Sheinbaum emphasized the program's importance for providing healthcare to rural Mexican communities where local doctors are reluctant to work.

MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced Wednesday that her nation will maintain its partnership with Cuban medical professionals, even as other countries throughout the Americas have terminated similar arrangements due to increasing pressure from the United States.

“It’s a bilateral agreement that helps Mexico a lot,” Sheinbaum stated during her morning press conference when questioned about whether she would maintain the partnership or yield to Trump administration pressure.

The Mexican leader’s backing of the Cuban medical initiative occurs while President Donald Trump has imposed severe restrictions on Cuba, effectively blocking the island’s oil imports and working to isolate the Caribbean nation in an attempt to force governmental change. The United States has campaigned to terminate these medical missions, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterizing them as “forced labor” and “a form of human trafficking.”

Several Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Honduras and Jamaica, have suddenly terminated these missions and returned Cuban medical professionals to their homeland.

Cuba’s strategy of sending doctors abroad — typically highly trained professionals skilled at providing healthcare with limited resources — serves as a diplomatic tool, though it has faced longstanding criticism from U.S. officials. Nevertheless, Cuban medical professionals have served crucial roles in underserved rural regions throughout Latin America, including the Amazon basin and portions of Central America that lack fundamental medical infrastructure.

During Wednesday’s briefing, Sheinbaum championed the initiative and emphasized that “we can’t forget” the assistance Cuban doctors provided during the COVID-19 crisis and in remote areas nationwide. The exact number of Cuban medical professionals currently serving in Mexico remains uncertain.

“It’s hard to get Mexican doctors and specialists to go out to many rural areas where we need medical specialists, and the Cubans are willing to work there,” she explained.

Sheinbaum’s support for the initiative seems to contradict Trump administration objectives, occurring while the Mexican president navigates a delicate relationship with Washington amid Trump’s threats of military intervention against Mexican drug cartels.

Mexico has historically been a strong ally of Cuba since the Cuban revolution. For many years, it has provided oil deliveries to Cuba to help prevent a more severe energy shortage on the island. However, Sheinbaum’s administration stopped these oil shipments after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on any country supplying oil to Cuba. As an alternative, Mexico’s government has provided humanitarian aid to Cuba and explored other forms of assistance.