Deliberate, calculated and measured. Those words aptly describe Prime Minister Philip J Pierre’s responses to questions on the future of Cuban scholarships and the presence of Cuban doctors here in Saint Lucia.
“Let’s not be hypocritical about it. The US have said in no-uncertain terms that they would prefer us not to have the Cuban medical brigade work in these islands.
“The fact is the American government has problems with Cuban doctors working in these islands. That is a fact. This means that the entire medical situation exchange of doctors, students is under threat,” the Prime Minister said on Monday.
Among the journalists present in the room was veteran Earl Bousquet, who has long defended Cuba’s sovereignty against mounting US pressure over the years.
Pierre said while no decisions had yet been taken regarding whether scholarships to Cuba or the presence of medical professionals from Cuba would continue, he maintained the government was being “proactive.”
“We are friends with the American Government. They are our friends, we have an excellent relationship with them,” Pierre said.
It would be instructive to revisit 1979 – the year Saint Lucia became independent under the John Compton-led United Workers Party (UWP). The Cold War was on and Compton saw the United States, with Jimmy Carter as president, as a strong ally. Fidel Castro’s Cuba and later Grenada (where Maurice Bishop led a coup in March of that year) were shunned, due to their socialist leanings and alliance with Russia.
General elections in Saint Lucia were held in July of that year, with the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) taking home 12 of the 17 parliamentary seats. Led by Allen Louisy, the SLP also included George Odlum, Jon Odlum and Peter Josie who openly courted Cuba and Libya, among other sworn enemies of the United States.
In August of that year, Saint Lucia entered into diplomatic relations with Cuba under the SLP, embracing Castro. Bishop and Grenada were also “our friends.” The SLP also openly embraced (and still do) the referencing of members as “comrades,” the universal egalitarian form of address in the Soviet Union.
In 2001, Saint Lucia/Cuban medical cooperation began through the Cuban Medical Brigade. Successive administrations have maintained those relationships and the country has benefitted immensely from assistance provided by Cuban medical professionals, including their popular eye care program that has performed more than 15,000 surgical interventions at no cost to patients.
Fast forward to 2025.
America has sworn in Donald Trump as its president and Marco Rubio the son of Cuban immigrants is the Secretary of State. Trump immediately implements a number of immigration and anti-Cuban policies.
Rubio outlines a US policy, which opposes the presence of Cuban medical workers in the Caribbean alleging that the program violates international labor standards and countries where Cuban medical personnel are deployed are threatened with sanctions.
In May last year, Philip J Pierre addressed these developments.
At the time the Prime Minister acknowledged the receipt of a diplomatic note from the US government concerning Cuban doctors.
“The Cuban doctors who work in Saint Lucia are professionals and an integral part of our health care system. They are paid by the government of Saint Lucia, and they receive no special or different treatment from our local doctors. Our medical system would basically collapse without them,” Pierre pointed out.
The Prime Minister told reporters that the government had already responded to the US inquiry, reaffirming Saint Lucia’s compliance with international law.
Pierre had also scoffed at the notion that the United States was in talks with Saint Lucia to accept non-national deportees under its new immigration policy. “Where are we going to put them?” was his response when we asked.
Several Caribbean leaders pushed back on the United States move to ban the Cuban medical professionals, including Jamaica’s Andrew Holness.
“Jamaica has a health deficit in personnel primarily because health personnel have migrated to other countries. We have been very careful not to exploit the Cuban doctors,” Holness said.
Others, including Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and Dr. Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago were more defiant, saying that they would rather forfeit their US visas than consider Cuban doctors persona no grata in their countries.
Now in 2026, the US has doubled down on Cuba, saying that the country poses a security threat, while imposing fresh sanctions. They also insist that Cuban medical professionals are being exploited by the Cuban regime and should not be allowed to enter the region.
Gonsalves and Rowley are no longer in power. Philip J Pierre is, with a fresh and overwhelming mandate from the electorate at the December 1 polls.
In January, Pierre announced that Saint Lucia had signed an MOU with the United States to become a third party state to accept deportees from other countries. Then last month, the most recent snow storm was addressed at a health forum here. Pierre opened up about the existential threat to our health care system due to renewed calls by the US to ban the Cuban health care workers.
The Prime Minister was pressed further on the matter on Monday.
On Tuesday ahead of a sitting of Parliament, Health Minister, Moses Jn Baptiste broached the subject with reporters.
“Clearly this situation is very sensitive and the Prime Minister has spoken to this situation and we are very concerned about the possible negative effects of this on our medical system,” Jn Baptiste said.
“As you know for many decades, the government and people of Cuba have assisted the government and people of Saint Lucia. Many of our medical professionals from physicians to biomedical engineers have been trained in Cuba and many of them are doing well, not only in Saint Lucia,” he went on to say.
According to Jn Baptiste, the current crop of medical professionals from the Cuban Medical Brigade are providing an immeasurable service that cannot be quantified.
He agreed that there would be gaps if they were to be asked to leave.
“But we have to prepare and we are looking at the situation very closely,” Jn Baptiste said, adding that it was a sensitive foreign relations issue with consequences.
Meanwhile it has been indicated that Saint Lucian students in Cuba will be allowed to continue for the time being.
“There is no imminent withdrawal from our students, but under the circumstances, understanding that life will be what it is…which is you are in a state that America has said is a threat to its security,” the Prime Minister said.
He also pointed out that the government was exploring alternative sources for scholarships as well as medical personnel, admitting there was a deficit of health care workers in the country.
“So when or if that situation emerges, because it has been clear that the American government does not want Cuban doctors to operate in the islands, this is American policy as set by the Secretary of State.
“Saint Lucia has no issue with American Government policy. What we have to do is make alternative arrangements for ourselves when these things happen,” Pierre stated.