00:00Barbados Prime Minister Mia Motley on Wednesday while contributing to the
00:04debate on the 2025 appropriation bill made reference to the perilous times in
00:09which we live. If ever there was a time that has been perilous since
00:14independence and if ever there has been a time that has been perilous since
00:18World War two it is the world in which we live today sir. It is the world in
00:26which we live. This matter with the Cubans and the nurses should tell us
00:33everything that we need to know. Barbados does not currently have Cuban
00:37medical staff or Cuban nurses but I will be the first to go to the line and to
00:43tell you that we could not get through the pandemic without the Cuban nurses
00:48and the Cuban doctors. Motley was justifying her over 1 million Barbados
00:53dollars in travel for her seven years in office when she referenced the
00:57announcement by the Trump administration on a new visa ban targeting Cuban
01:03officials facilitating a decades-old Cuban medical mission. We paid them the
01:09same thing that we pay Bajans and that the notion as was peddled not just by
01:15this government in the US but the previous government that we were
01:19involved in human trafficking by engaging with the Cuban nurses was fully
01:23repudiated and rejected by us. Now I don't believe that we have to shout
01:28across the seas but I am prepared like others in this region that if we cannot
01:33reach a sensible agreement on this matter then if the cost of it is the
01:38loss of my visa to the US and so be it. In a statement in February US Secretary
01:44of State Marco Rubio said the expanded restrictions target individuals and
01:48immediate family members of individuals believed to be responsible for the
01:54program which he described as forced labor.
01:59But what matters to us is principles and I have said over and over that principles only mean something when it is
02:09inconvenient to stand by it. Now we don't have to shout but we can be
02:15resolute and I therefore look forward to standing with my Caricom brothers I
02:20wish I could say brothers and sisters but brothers to be able to ensure that
02:29we explain that what the Cubans have been able to do for us far from
02:35approximating itself to human trafficking has been to save lives and
02:40limbs and sight for many a Caribbean person. Meanwhile the Trinidad and
02:46Tobago National Nursing Association calls for clarity on Cuban health care
02:50partnerships and therefore urged the TNT government to immediately seek clarity
02:55on the matter to ensure the health care sector continues uninterrupted. In a
03:01statement issued on Thursday it says quote it is imperative that health care
03:05fundamental human right is not unduly influenced by geopolitical considerations
03:11end quote. The TTNNA says it supports global efforts to eliminate forced labor
03:16in all forms where no individual should be subjected to exploitative conditions
03:22and any measures in its prevention should be supported. It points out the
03:27relationship shared between the Cuban medical professionals and local
03:30counterparts are characterized by camaraderie mutual respect and
03:34professional dedication far removed from any notion of forced labor. The
03:40association says for two decades Cuban health care workers have played a
03:44crucial role in the local health care sector and many have chosen to make TNT
03:49their permanent home. It notes the position adopted by the US could not
03:54have come at a worse time as the country grapples with increased outward
03:57migration of nurses reduction of successful candidates at the nursing
04:02licensing exam and a complete cessation of training of specialist nurses in TNT.
04:08The TTNNA says if the primary consequence of maintaining the vital
04:13health care partnerships is the revocation of US visas for a limited
04:18number of government officials then CARICOM leaders should carefully weigh
04:22their priorities as quote ensuring the continued delivery of health care to all
04:28citizens should take precedence over travel repercussions affecting a select
04:33few end quote. Arvishi Tiwari, Rupanarayan TV 6 News
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