Incentivise Guyanese doctors, not foreigners – WIN tells Govt.

Mar 07, 2026 News

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(Kaieteur News) – We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) is urging the government to prioritise and incentivise Guyanese healthcare workers rather than turning to the importation of foreign personnel amid the ongoing shortage in the health sector.

The party made the call while addressing the recent termination of the Cuban Medical Brigade’s services and the government’s plans to recruit healthcare workers from other countries to fill the gaps.

Speaking with reporters at a press conference on Friday, WIN Member of Parliament Odessa Primus said she does not understand the rationale behind ending the Cuban programme only to seek replacements from elsewhere.

Primus noted that beyond professional qualifications, healthcare workers must also be able to understand local culture and effectively communicate with patients.

“It is not just about the medical field, it is also about understanding the culture,” she said, adding that language barriers could pose challenges as new recruits from other countries would require time to adjust to Guyana.

She pointed out that the health sector is already understaffed and warned that removing existing personnel could further deepen the shortage.

“So, it leaves a lot of concerns, because when you get rid of more people it means you don’t just have to replace them — you have to find additional people because you are already understaffed,” Primus explained.

While acknowledging the government’s plans for new state-of-the-art hospitals, the MP said the focus must also be on ensuring that those facilities are adequately staffed.

“These fancy words are being used to describe empty buildings,” she said, arguing that systems should have been put in place to encourage more Guyanese to pursue careers in medicine and nursing while also ensuring they remain in the country.

Primus also questioned why incentives offered to foreign healthcare workers cannot be extended to local professionals.

“When we bring doctors here from other countries we provide them with housing, allowances and in some cases, they are paid more,” she said.

“My thing is that says to me we can pay our people more, because they live here.”

Meanwhile, WIN Member of Parliament Dr Ryan Richards said the removal of the Cuban Medical Brigade could place additional strain on an already stretched healthcare system.

He noted that the Cuban doctors have been working in Guyana for decades and have played an important role in supporting the public healthcare sector.

“Now a gap has been created and the government has to find a way to fill that gap,” Richards said, adding that the situation could worsen existing shortages of specialists.

The MP also questioned why patients are still frequently referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) despite the construction of several new medical facilities across the country.

According to Richards, the explanation provided in the National Assembly was that certain “super specialists” would rotate among hospitals, while other specialists would remain stationed at particular facilities.

However, he pointed out that several members of the Cuban Medical Brigade were themselves specialists, meaning the system will now have to find ways to replace that expertise.

Reflecting on his own training, Richards said that when he completed his Bachelor’s Degree there were roughly 300 doctors being trained.

“What happened to those doctors today? How many of them were levelled up into specialties and how many are still in the system?” he questioned.

Richards said many medical professionals leave Guyana after completing their mandatory five-year contractual service, often seeking better opportunities abroad.

“They serve their five years, gain the experience and knowledge of the system, and then they leave for greener pastures,” he explained.

The issue of the Cuban Medical Brigade has also drawn criticism from other political groups.

On Thursday, Gerald Perreira, Chairman of the Office for the Victory of the People (OVP), accused the government of bowing to pressure from the United States in its decision to terminate the agreement with Cuba.

Perreira made the claim after delivering a letter to President Irfaan Ali signed by more than 100 organisations and individuals calling for the reinstatement of the Cuban doctors.

According to Perreira, the Cuban Medical Brigade has been serving Guyana for more than 40 years, making significant contributions to the country’s healthcare system.

“As a seasoned political activist, I am very much aware that Marco Rubio came into this country and issued a directive to the President of Guyana to send home the Cuban Medical Brigade,” he said.

The letter’s signatories are also urging the government to resist what they describe as growing pressure from the United States to dismantle the longstanding scholarship programme that allows Guyanese students, particularly in medicine, to study in Cuba.

President Ali is scheduled to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Miami today, and the group is calling on him to defend Guyana’s sovereign right to make independent foreign policy decisions based on national interest.

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• foreigners, Guyanese doctors, health sector, Incentivise, We Invest in Nationhood

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