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A report published by the official newspaper Invasor acknowledged some of the shortcomings of funeral services in Ciego de Ávila, such as delays in the transportation of the deceased, issues with the quality of the caskets, and limitations in the maintenance of funeral homes and cemeteries.
According to the information released by that outlet, only 8 of the 19 funeral cars available in the province are operational, while the rest are out of service due to breakdowns or are in the process of being decommissioned. The municipalities of Baraguá and Venezuela currently have no vehicles, which has necessitated coordinating transfers from other locations.
Invasor points out that the difficulties in repairing these vehicles are due to the shortage of spare parts and the lack of adequate maintenance. During a visit to the province, the Minister of Transport, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, analyzed the possibility of small and medium-sized enterprises taking over the repair of some of these cars.
The official media also indicates that the coffin factory in the province is facing issues with the quality of the wood and a shortage of carpenters due to low wages. This has affected the production of coffins and has forced them to rely on workers from other sectors.
Regarding the maintenance of funeral homes and cemeteries, the report states that five facilities are undergoing repairs, although issues persist with cleaning the spaces and a lack of staff. At the cemetery in Ciego de Ávila, part of the problem is attributed to the lack of maintenance of private vaults, which has necessitated that workers from Communal Services take care of cleaning these areas.
Regarding the cremation service, the Invasor report indicates that the crematorium in the province is operating normally, although its oven is under repair. Typically, this service operates 24 hours a day and also handles requests from the neighboring province of Sancti Spíritus.
A problem present in other provinces
While the report from Invasor focuses on Ciego de Ávila, the crisis in funeral services affects the whole of Cuba, with similar or even more critical situations in other provinces.
In Matanzas, a state journalist recently reported that the shortage of fuel nearly prevented the burial of his grandmother, as the hearses could not transport the body without state authorization to refuel.
In Pinar del Río, the lack of funeral transport forced a group of mourners to carry the coffin on foot through several streets to the cemetery, an event that sparked outrage on social media and highlighted the deficiencies in the funeral system.
In Holguín, the residents of the municipality of Banes celebrated the arrival of a hearse, as for many years, the transport of deceased individuals had been carried out using improvised means such as tractors or cargo trucks.
In Santiago de Cuba, cases of burials in cardboard coffins, due to a scarcity of wood and other materials have been reported. This situation has been denounced on social media by relatives of the deceased who have had to confront these undignified conditions.
Funeral homes in several provinces are facing issues with infrastructure and electrical supply, which has forced them to hold wakes in the dark. This happened in Las Tunas, where the family of a deceased individual had to light the vigil with flashlights due to the lack of electricity in the local funeral home.
Cases like these reflect the widespread precariousness of funeral services in Cuba, a crisis that has generated concern and discontent among the population and has been the subject of constant complaints on social media.
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