In addition to concerns about the health of the children admitted to the Dr. Antonio María Béguez César Children's Hospital in Santiago de Cuba, mothers and other family members accompanying the patients have added another reason for distress: the theft of their belongings by thieves who enter the medical facility with complete freedom.
A person who witnessed a robbery at the hospital known as "La Colonia Española" early Saturday morning reported the incident to the communicator Yosmany Mayeta.
"Today we were surprised by thieves who broke into the hospital in Colonia," noted the complainant, explaining that the criminals enter through the wall at the back, which borders the Chicharrones neighborhood, and "climb up to the wards where the sick children are, with no scruples to steal."
At around 1:10 a.m., "the thief entered one of the stalls, took a cellphone and a bag from a mother who, upon waking and noticing the back door of the stall open, saw him and began to scream," he recounted.
The report warned that the doors of the hospital rooms "lack security" and urged those with family members hospitalized there: "If you go to the Colony, secure the doors with chairs or the beds themselves, or they will be targeted for theft."
“Sadly, they couldn't catch him,” the person lamented at the end of the message sent to Mayeta.
The spokesperson expressed hope that the provincial authorities would take action and promptly apprehend "the wrongdoers engaged in this."
Numerous people responded with confusion and outrage to the report, which highlights the unchecked rise of crime, violence, and insecurity in the country, as well as the lack of effective action by the police to address this serious issue.
Previous complaints from the population about the Santiago children's hospital have also revealed the lack of proper conditions and sanitation in the healthcare institution, the poor quality of food for patients, and power outages that jeopardize the lives of the sick. These situations highlight the severe crisis facing the Cuban healthcare system.
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