MIAMI, United States. – Guatemala stopped renewing the contracts of the Cuban Medical Brigade since last January, as confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINEX) of the Central American country, although the Health Cooperation Agreement between the Cuban regime and Guatemala will formally remain in force.
The decision was communicated to the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba accredited in Guatemala through official diplomatic channels, according to the newspaper. Free press.
The Guatemalan Foreign Ministry confirmed to this medium the authenticity of a letter dated January 6, in which it was decided “to specify, as of January 2026, the progressive non-renewal of the services of the brigade members whose mission has reached its end.”
The same document clarifies that the Cooperation Agreement and the relationship between the Government of Guatemala and the Cuban doctors who remain in the country will remain in force, in accordance with the established programming.
According to the diplomatic note, the non-renewal will be applied gradually, as the brigade members’ individual contracts come to an end. The Foreign Ministry specified that the specific deadlines and operational management of the process correspond to the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MSPAS), the entity that signed the agreement with Havana.
“Information on specific dates must be provided by the Ministry of Health, which is the entity that signed the agreement,” indicated MINEX.
The official communication from MINEX, addressed to the head of the MSPAS, Joaquín Barnoya, refers to the Subsidiary Agreement for Cooperation in Public Health Matters signed between both countries on August 14, 2024, which remains valid until 2027. However, the document establishes that, despite this formal validity, the services of the Cuban medical brigades will not be progressively renewed starting in 2026.
The Cuban Medical Brigade arrived in Guatemala in 1998, after the emergency caused by Hurricane Mitch, with a first contingent of 19 medical specialists as part of a humanitarian mission. Subsequently, on November 20, 2002, Guatemala and Cuba formally signed the Health Cooperation Agreement, which gave a legal framework to the presence of these professionals in the country.
According to official data cited by Free presscurrently some 420 Cuban professionals collaborate with the Guatemalan public health system, mainly in rural areas and communities with difficult access.
The continuity of the agreement between both governments has been under discussion at different times. In 2020, Guatemala evaluated its possible termination, although it later confirmed its continuity. More recently, in July 2025, the United States Government announced visa restrictions for Central American officials who support Cuban medical brigades, considering that these programs involve forced labor and benefit the Havana regime.
