By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE United States has for the first time publicly backed The Bahamas’ overhaul of its system for hiring Cuban professionals, praising the move to pay workers directly rather than through Havana’s state agencies.

The US had warned that participation in Cuba’s state-run labour-export programme could trigger visa sanctions for officials and their families.

Leaked contracts published by Cuba Archive earlier this year indicated The Bahamas was paying up to $12,000 per medical professional per month but Cuban professionals received roughly $990 to $1,200, with the balance retained by Comercializadora de Servicios Médicos Cubanos.

In June, Health Minister Dr Michael Darville said Cuban healthcare workers would be hired directly by his ministry rather than via intermediaries, and that existing deals could be cancelled, with those unwilling to accept new terms expected to return to Cuba.

US Chargé d’Affaires Kimberly Furnish said: “This has been a very strong policy point for the United States under the Trump Administration and particularly for Secretary Marco Rubio. The US feels strongly that those policies are human rights issues. All people deserve to have their salaries given directly to them without their government intervening in that. So, we’ve worked very closely with the Bahamian government to ensure that if there are Cuban Nationals working here, that they’re being paid directly and treated humanely. We are very proud of the Bahamian efforts to make that so, and we see success in that effort.”

Her remarks amount to Washington’s first public cosign of reforms the Davis administration adopted this year after months of friction over the old model, which routed contracts through Cuban state agencies.

Education authorities have said more than 100 Cuban teachers are set to return under a revised framework that places contracts directly with the Bahamian government, relieving pressure in classrooms facing shortages across language arts, technical studies, early childhood education, performing arts, physical education, and health and family life.

Meanwhile, Dr Darville said last month that the Cuban medical professionals remain in the country as The Bahamas negotiates with the US over its proposal to directly contract them.