For months, the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been going back and forth about the 94-person Cuban Medical Brigade working in Belize's healthcare system.
The US State Department - which has characterized these medical missions as a "coercive labor export scheme" is pressuring the Briceno Administration to send the Cuban doctors home.
There has been no definitive pronouncement from the government of Belize, but the US Charge d'Affaires Katharine Beamer was much clearer about it; she says it's being wound up:
Katharine Beamer - Chargé d'Affaires
"Well, we are supportive of the government's decision to wind down this program in Belize and we are committed to encouraging all the countries throughout the world to region to adhere to international labor standards and we are very interested in human dignity and those types of employment relations."
Reporter:
"Has any conversations been had with the government about how we replace the support that those doctors have provided to the health system here in Belize?"
Katharine Beamer - Chargé d'Affaires
"I am not going to comment on specific conversations that I've had with the government but I do know there is a strong commitment to ensuring that healthcare in Belize remains robust and services the Belizean people."
