Cuba Sent Medical Brigades to 50+ Countries in 2025

Why this is here: More than half of the 24,000 Cuban health collaborators sent abroad in 2025 were women.

Cuba dispatched over 24,000 health specialists to more than 50 countries during 2025, primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean. This international medical cooperation began in 1963 when Cuba sent 50 experts to Algeria, an initiative led by Fidel Castro. Since then, over 600,000 health professionals have participated in programs extending to over 165 nations.

The Henry Reeve brigade, established in 2005, responds to disasters and epidemics. Cuba once offered to send 1,500 doctors to the United States after Hurricane Katrina, but the proposal was declined. Currently, roughly 50% of these Cuban collaborators are women working in places like Venezuela, Mexico, and several Caribbean nations.

Recently, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, and Guyana ended medical cooperation agreements—some lasting over 25 years—following pressure from the U.S. government. Cuba alleges the U.S. pressured these nations by falsely claiming labor exploitation and attempting to limit Cuba’s revenue. Further research is needed to fully understand the long-term impact of these terminated agreements on healthcare access in affected countries.