Canal Caribe airs a report in the country, with statements from Venezuelan patients, amid uncertainty over the future of a mission that traded work for oil
14ymedio, Madrid, January 14, 2026– Uncertainty hangs over the thousands of Cuban doctors who remain in Venezuela, and rumors are multiplying in the absence of information. What will happen now to the agreement signed by Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro in 2000 to exchange oil for health personnel? Explicit mention has been made of a request from the White House for the new interim government of Delcy Rodríguez to break ties with China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba, which would of course imply the withdrawal of intelligence and security personnel from the country.
U.S. President Donald Trump also said this Sunday that “Cuba survived for many years thanks to Venezuela’s oil and money. In exchange, it provided ‘security services’ to the last two Venezuelan dictators.” The president then said there would be “no more oil” for the Island, and although he did not specifically mention PDVSA’s crude, that was how it was understood.
But the exchange also included health workers, and the question is whether Trump’s threat will materialize, reducing crude shipments to Havana to zero and, if so, what incentive Cuba would have to maintain a deployment of some 14,000 personnel whose absence, at this moment, would be significant for Venezuela.
What incentive would Cuba have to maintain a deployment of some 14,000 personnel whose absence, at this moment, would be significant for Venezuela?
In the absence of concrete information from those involved, rumors are flying, especially after the numerous flights of the Ilyushin Il-96-300 with registration CU-T1250 recorded by radars in recent days, which have led some to think the numbers are already declining.
On social media and in the independent press, testimonies of alleged defections have appeared. According to sources confirmed by 14ymedio, the situation depends on the location of the health workers, since some have been confined to barracks while others have continued to carry out their duties with a degree of normality. Last week, the provincial newspaper of Sancti Spíritus sought to curb the rumors and published a brief interview with the local head of the brigade, who made it clear that health workers had stopped working where there were risks but had continued working in the rest of the country.
That was insufficient, and the week has continued to be filled with all kinds of comments, prompting the Cuban government to once again roll out its propaganda. Canal Caribe went to the Comprehensive Diagnostic Center La Urbina, in Petare, part of Miranda state near Caracas, to produce a short report aired on Tuesday’s newscast, showing doctors attending patients, several of whom were put on camera to praise the Cubans.
“No one goes home without being treated, regardless of the hour and much less the circumstances,” says the reporter, who speaks with some Venezuelans. “We are very grateful for the care given by the Cuban doctors because the poor people of the community come here and receive good care,” says one. “They fulfill their duty, as they should and as established by what they were contracted to do, and truly they are wonderful people,” says another patient.
The physicians also explain how good they feel in the country, without any mention of the current situation. “We feel deep pride and great solidarity, since we come with the mindset of internationalism, solidarity, and humanism that characterizes all Cubans,” says specialist Yarelis Cutiño. “We are going to provide the support that the Venezuelan people need for as long as they want, for as long as they decide,” she continues.
Nurse Anisleidis Martínez also looks straight into the camera and mentions how “at this moment our presence has a very important meaning” in Venezuela, which they will continue, she says, to support for as long as necessary.
The same spirit runs through the Facebook groups of Cuban doctors in the country, where “the recent difficult events” are mentioned more explicitly, in the face of which “solidarity becomes medicine”
The same spirit runs through the Facebook groups of Cuban doctors in the country, where “the recent difficult events” are mentioned more explicitly, in the face of which “solidarity becomes medicine,” says a message from the Agua Viva Medical Brigade in Lara state. “The Cuban medical brigade, together with its Venezuelan sisters and brothers, reaffirms its commitment to be where it is most needed: at the side of the people, caring for lives, offering hope. Health knows no borders. When people embrace, strength multiplies. Today, doctors from Cuba and Venezuela work shoulder to shoulder, demonstrating that unity is the best antidote to adversity,” says a poster that seeks to inject forced morale.
“Blah, blah, blah. This is how Cuba’s medical missions work, especially in Venezuela. Everyone is forced to post stupidities in favor of communism,” replies a single comment. The account shows a torrent of short videos of patient thank-yous.
In 2019, the newspaper Granma placed the number of Cubans on mission in Venezuela at 29,505, of whom 20,000 were health workers spread across the 25 states. By 2026, estimates put the number at around 14,000, among other reasons due to the decline in oil shipments. If the U.S. effectively forces Delcy Rodríguez to stop delivering oil, the 2000 agreements will be officially broken, and Venezuela will have to face the abrupt loss of thousands of doctors, with no clear idea of how they could be replaced in the short term.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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