Santiago de Cuba is considering setting up a field hospital in response to the seismic crisis

In response to the seismic situation in eastern Cuba, with 885 earthquakes recorded in less than 24 hours, the government of Santiago de Cuba is considering the installation of a field hospital as a measure to address the crisis.

Sources from the provincial Department of Public Health informed CiberCuba that each hospital in the region has been instructed to form medical brigades composed of surgeons, anesthesiologists, therapists, orthopedic specialists, and other medical professionals.

"It would be located in the Plaza de la Revolución," said the government official. "It's a large outdoor space, away from buildings, and has been used for this purpose in previous seismic crises."

Additionally, he pointed out that the creation of these medical brigades would further strain the already tense situation with specialists in hospitals, who in recent years have faced a massive exodus of professionals.

The source added that there is great concern at the provincial office regarding the shortage of medical supplies and medications: "Hopefully nothing happens, because it would once again highlight the resource scarcity we face. In the hospitals, we practice 'field medicine' daily due to the shortages. Can you imagine if a disaster were to occur?"

In the town of Pilón, Granma, the closest to the epicenter of the earthquakes recorded this Sunday in Cuba, there is already a field hospital set up "in the areas of the Félix Lugones Ramírez health institution, which was severely affected by the seismic activity," reported the local television station, CNC Granma, on its website.

In the last 24 hours, the network of stations of the National Seismological Service, part of the National Center for Seismological Research, has recorded 885 earthquakes, keeping the population of eastern Cuba and its leaders on edge.

The situation had been previously alerted by Dr. Enrique Diego Arango Arias, head of the National Seismological Service, who warned on his social media that the seismic activity was "quite complicated" following the recording of two earthquakes this Sunday southeast of Pilón, in the province of Granma.

The government of Santiago de Cuba, with extensive experience in dealing with such seismic events, advised residents of the 11 high-rise buildings in the area to stay in open spaces.

The eastern region was severely shaken this Sunday, first by a foreshock measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale, followed by a main shock of 6.7.