Belize looking to Honduras for doctors as future of Cuban Medical Brigade remains uncertain

By Breaking Belize News Staff: Prime Minister John Briceño says Belize is exploring the recruitment of doctors from Honduras as Government continues searching for ways to protect the health system amid uncertainty over the future of the Cuban Medical Brigade.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Briceño said Government is still working to determine whether at least some Cuban medical personnel can remain in Belize, but acknowledged that alternative arrangements are also being pursued.

“We’re still working [on] how is it that we can keep, at the very least, some of those doctors that can stay in Belize,” Briceño said.

The Prime Minister said discussions with Honduras have opened another possible avenue, with Belize now looking at an agreement between the two countries’ health ministries that could allow Honduran doctors to work locally.

Briceño said Belize was informed that there are Honduran doctors prepared to come to the country, and the Ministry of Health and Wellness is examining the possibility of establishing a Memorandum of Understanding with its Honduran counterpart.

The discussions come as Belize faces a critical decision on the Cuban Medical Brigade. Health Minister Kevin Bernard said last week that Government is working toward resolving the issue by the end of September, while emphasizing the importance of the Cuban personnel currently serving in Belize’s health system.

The future of the brigade has been under review amid pressure from the United States over Cuba’s overseas medical programme. Earlier this year, Briceño said Belize was seeking an arrangement that could allow Cuban doctors who wish to remain in the country to continue working under terms acceptable to all sides.

Honduras is also being considered as a training partner. Briceño said Government wants to create opportunities for young Belizean doctors to undertake medical residencies there.

Bernard previously explained that the proposed cooperation would be broader than simply recruiting Honduran doctors, and could include access for Belizean physicians to Honduras’ medical education and residency programmes.

Government has also been exploring other countries as possible sources of medical professionals as part of a longer-term contingency plan to ensure that any reduction in the Cuban brigade does not leave major gaps in Belize’s healthcare system.

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