PANAMA CITY: A group of 220 Cuban health care professionals arrived in Panama on Thursday to help fight the coronavirus pandemic despite objections from the United States.

The Cuban medics will “reinforce the health system in this fight against covid-19”, Panama’s health ministry said on Twitter.

Panama announced on Dec 15 it would hire doctors from Cuba, the US, Mexico, Venezuela and Colombia to tackle the pandemic despite a law restricting medical practice to locals.

Panama is the worst affected country in Central America with more than 220,000 Covid-19 cases and over 3,600 deaths among its 4.2 million population.

But the announcement had met resistance from Michael Kozak, Washington’s acting assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs.

“Governments that hire Cuban medical workers must ensure their fair and humane treatment — in stark contrast to the Castro regime, which traffics in, and exploits, the workers’ bravery for its own gains,” Kozak tweeted on Dec 21. “Make contracts transparent and pay workers directly.” The US is Panama’s main political and economic ally.

Cuba’s practice of hiring out its world-renowned health care workers has been branded “white coat diplomacy” by Havana’s detractors, including Washington, which has accused Cuba of “forced labor” and using the medics as a propaganda tool.

“Our White Coat Heroes have arrived in Panama,” Cuba’s embassy in Panama said on Twitter alongside a video of people wearing white coats and carrying a Cuban flag.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2020