Havana, 27 March 2026 (Granma newspaper) With a sense of duty fulfilled: the Cuban medical brigade’s historic mission on that Caribbean island comes to an end.
“We are back in our homeland, with the satisfaction of having fulfilled our objective in that country, and with the affection of its people, who bid us a heartfelt farewell,” said Dayna Rosa González, an intensive care nurse who was part of the medical brigade in Jamaica, following the arrival in Havana on Friday of the last group of staff who served on that Caribbean island.
During the reception held at Terminal 5 of José Martí International Airport, Dr Carilda Peña García, the island’s Deputy Minister of Public Health, noted that the work of the medical brigade in Jamaica is a testimony to the hope, gratitude and commitment between both peoples. “The most humble people in Jamaica are grateful for the kind, humane treatment and professionalism shown by every member of the brigade. No one can take that away from us,” she declared.
Their work, she said, will live on in the hearts of those grateful people “and will weigh on the conscience of the governments that are today depriving their country of these basic services”.
He confirmed that their return was due to the Jamaican government’s unilateral decision to terminate the health cooperation agreement, in response to which Cuba decided to recall the professionals currently serving in the brigade.
For her part, Dr Niordalis Liliam Llanes Hidalgo, speaking on behalf of the brigade, said that for 50 years Cuban professionals had provided high-quality medical care in institutions across the country. “In the most remote corners of Jamaica, in national institutions where a high level of professional expertise was required and where there is a severe shortage of human resources,” she noted.
There, she explained, we covered specialities that are very difficult to find, such as pathological anatomy, rheumatology, surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, nephrology and imaging, amongst others.
Yolepsys Valle Legón, a qualified nurse, remarked: “It was amazing to see how the people of Jamaica bid us farewell, showing us affection and gratitude, and acknowledging the work carried out over 50 years by the Cuban medical mission in that sister nation.”
“Today we place ourselves once again at the service of our homeland for the tasks we will face in the future,” she assured.
With the return of the last group of healthcare professionals, a half-century of collaboration in Jamaica comes to an end, where Cuban healthcare professionals have left an indelible mark of solidarity and humanism. The experience gained and the recognition of the Jamaican people now constitute the best endorsement for the new challenges these professionals will take on in their homeland.