HARSH REALITY - Jamaican medical students in Cuba plead for help amid deepening crisis

Despite Havana’s reported assurances of normalcy, a crippling infrastructure collapse has left Jamaican medical students in Cuba facing severe hardships, including the reduction in teaching sessions, threatening both their career training and mental health.

The students, four of whom spoke to The Gleaner on condition of anonymity, fearing academic reprisal, are urging the Jamaican Government to intervene and demand transparency from Cuban authorities, who, they say, gave assurances concerning their academic programmes.

One final-year student said that the nationwide fuel shortage has forced the reduction of classes to between one and three days per week and that clinical instruction at hospitals is virtually “non-existent”.

Frustrated, the student said he and peers continue to pay full tuition fees despite receiving little to no practical training or structured education.

He said daily life has deteriorated with extreme electrical outages, leaving them with only four hours of power each day, coupled with rising transportation costs, unreliable services, and frequent Internet and communication blackouts.

He said among Jamaican medical students, there is a strong feeling of abandonment, as the Jamaican Government and embassy appear to “passively accept” the Cuban authorities' assurances without adequate scrutiny or real-time verification.

Since earlier this year, the Cuban government assured our government and embassy that classes for international medical students would resume normally, and that there would be no need for students to leave the country … ,” the student said. 

“However, the reality on the ground has become increasingly concerning, far more concerning since January and February. Due to the severe fuel shortage affecting transportation nationwide, students are now attending classes only one to three days per week. Even during those limited days at the hospital, meaningful academic instruction is often non-existent. In many cases, students simply sign an attendance sheet and are then sent home shortly afterward. Interns face similar conditions, sometimes reporting for extended shifts only once per week with minimal educational or clinical engagemen,t” he added, lamenting the continued payment of tuition.

“Many of us feel abandoned in a system that is no longer functioning in a way that supports proper medical education,” he said.

Added to that, he said he has had to watch Cubans train for possible US military invasion, many unwillingly and fearful of their future.

He said those who refuse to train risk having their “ration” reduced or taken away.

Last week, US authorities indicted former Cuban President Raúl Castro, accusing him of ordering the 1996 shootdown of a civilian plane flown by Miami-based exiles. The charges include murder and destruction of an airplane. Castro was minister of defence at the time.

The indictment and recent comments by US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio renewed fears of a possible US military intervention, much like what happened in Venezuela in early January.

Economic conditions in the Spanish-speaking Caribbean country have drastically deteriorated in recent months as relations between the island and the United States reached their most hostile in decades following a dramatic escalation by the Trump administration.

In January, Washington declared Cuba an “extraordinary threat to US national security” and implemented an aggressive fuel blockade, crippling the island's energy grid, water systems, and economy.

While high-level diplomatic talks began in Havana and Cuba released thousands of political prisoners in an attempt to ease tensions, US authorities continue to stifle the country in an attempt to force regime change.

“All we are asking is for our government to continue actively questioning the situation and demanding accountability and transparency. It is difficult to justify paying tuition and remaining in the country when students are receiving so little education, spending most days at home in worsening conditions, often sitting in darkness and uncertainty while questioning the future of their studies and careers. And there are no signs this will get better any time soon,” he said. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not acknowledged questions emailed by The Gleaner pertaining to the medical students’ welfare.

Up to March this year, approximately 320 Jamaican medical students were studying in Cuba with 44 being the beneficiaries of the official Cuba-Jamaica bilateral scholarship programme.

It is not clear how many voluntarily returned to Jamaica or how many remain there.

A fifth-year student noted that while the first four years in Cuba came with expected challenges that could be overcome with perseverance, severe gas and fuel shortages starting around 2024 have “completely destabilised” his daily life.

He confirmed also, that power outages have escalated from a few hours a week in 2024 to a “crisis” in 2026 where electricity is available for less than six hours a day.

This is frequently compounded by simultaneous losses of gas and water, he said, causing him to be unable to cook or maintain basic hygiene.

He said to adapt, students have to plan their lives around unpredictable windows of electricity, even if it means waking up at odd hours to wash.

Further, he said food preservation has also become impossible, leading to wasted resources like spoiled meat.

“This, coupled with the lack of proper phone service, as the power outage is linked to a worsening connection, has made the life of a modern student difficult. How can one use websites like Cleveland Clinic or WHO or YouTube to study or learn about a topic if there isn't a stable connection to the Internet?

“There’s barely enough connection to send messages on WhatsApp. Again, life wasn’t meant to be easy, but this is a newfound level of difficulty that literally serves to do one thing – break your psyche,” the student said.

“There are days when the light goes and the gas goes, so you’re left in the dark without anything substantial to eat. There are even days when the light, gas and water goes … making a bad situation worse. What do you do on days like that? How does that not affect your mental health?” he questioned.

A first-year student co-signed the difficulties facing her peers, noting that at nights, the lack of electricity has forced residents out of their homes onto balconies or into public parks to escape the stifling heat and darkness.

She said because refrigerated food quickly spoils, they rely on expensive alternatives like takeout food or delivery.

“Using a cup of water for brushing your teeth, questioning what to cook or to cook at all because you have to wash the dishes you use, washing your clothes becomes difficult, flushing the toilet becomes limited and taking a shower without using a lot of water. Not only is it a stressful situation but quite frequently I have to go to a friend’s house just to take a shower. Even worse when you are on your monthly cycle,” she said.

A fourth student told The Gleaner that because the energy crisis has reduced classroom time and disrupted learning, the lack of structured guidance, clinical orientation, and practical scenarios has replaced fears of Imposter Syndrome with a deeper anxiety about becoming a mediocre doctor.

Added to that, he said hyperinflation has caused a dramatic rise in the cost of living.

Public transit is non-existent, he said, leaving students at the mercy of expensive, unreliable private taxis whose rates have spiked by over 250 per cent.

“The entire situation here feels unreal and at times unbearable. Three aspects of my life are greatly impacted by it: my mental health, my studies and my finances,” he said. 

“The weight of the situation has robbed me of the desire to study, harder it is when there isn’t enough guidance and practical scenarios to properly orient me in my studies. I like to think of myself as mentally tough but the conditions here are enough to break anyone,” he said. 

‘kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com