Abandonment of a patient reported at the psychiatric hospital in Santiago de Cuba: "They let her die of hunger."

A new shocking report exposes the inhumane conditions in which psychiatric patients survive—and die—at the "El Viso" Center for the Care of Chronic Mental Illness, located in the town of El Caney, Santiago de Cuba.

A video posted on Facebook by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada shows the body of an extremely thin woman, motionless and lying on her back on a bed.

In the video, a female voice, claiming to be the patient's niece, expresses indignantly:

"Look at how they have the people here, starving them, in El Viso… That’s my aunt, they killed her with hunger and misery. She is malnourished from starvation," she said.

The victim, named Odalis, was suffering from advanced-stage schizophrenia and was hospitalized under state directive.

"Two days earlier, her sister went to see her and had to fight because the doctor wouldn't allow her to see her sister," reported a relative of the patient identified as Mary La CubanaBelga.

An institution in ruins

In the video, which is just a few seconds long but striking, it can be seen that there are hardly any mattresses, no hygiene, and no visible medical care. One patient appears covered with a sheet on a bed, and another is directly on the floor.

According to Mary, the food, clothing, and medications that the family regularly brought to Odalis were stolen by the hospital staff.

"Even the workers steal toothbrushes; you just have to see how they leave loaded with everything they take," he added.

Despite the family's efforts, Mary admitted that the lady could no longer be managed at home, which forced them to have her institutionalized.

"Unfortunately, we had to leave it there. Because we could no longer control it! But this system is neither useful nor effective. We don't need anything from the State," he emphasized.

It is not an isolated case

After the video was published, several people shared similar testimonies.

"I lost an uncle under the same circumstances," wrote a user.

"Likewise, in nursing homes, they starve them. They are murderers," another one stated.

"Food shortages, and another issue that occurs there in El Viso is that the food goes through many hands, and by the time it reaches the patient, it's in awful condition. Everyone takes the patient's food home," a third person reported.

The scene not only sparked outrage due to its starkness but also because it once again highlights the deteriorating state of the Cuban public healthcare system, especially regarding psychiatric care, geriatrics, and support for vulnerable individuals.

Official silence amid a humanitarian collapse

So far, the Ministry of Public Health has not issued any statement regarding the case or the conditions at "El Viso." There are also no known ongoing investigations or sanctions against any responsible parties.

The health administration continues its usual practice of hiding, minimizing, or justifying these tragedies, while the population suffers the consequences of a collapsed infrastructure, exhausted personnel, and systemic corruption.

For years, independent media and families of patients have reported a lack of food, medication, hygiene, and trained staff in the country's psychiatric hospitals.

What was previously dismissed as "isolated cases" now constitutes a pattern of institutional abandonment that the government can no longer hide.

Mayeta assured that her page will continue to investigate this unfortunate incident and the deplorable hospital conditions faced by psychiatric patients in the city of Santiago.

"We urge the authorities of the province and Public Health to comment on this regrettable scene and to demonstrate, with true images and without any justification, what we have published," he said.

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