The Ministry of Public Health of Cuba (MINSAP) began transferring doctors and nurses from other provinces to Matanzas in an effort to contain the deterioration of the epidemiological situation facing the region, where high rates of infections by dengue, chikungunya, and oropouche are reported.
The official journalist Lázaro Manuel Alonso reported on Facebook that a "group of health professionals will arrive in Matanzas to support the response to the complicated epidemiological situation," and likened the operation to the medical reinforcements sent during the hospital collapse of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The message aligns with reports from overwhelmed hospitals and clinics, a lack of healthcare personnel, and increasing citizen complaints about deaths and delays in medical care.
According to local sources, several municipalities in the province —including Cárdenas, Perico, Martí, and Colón— are experiencing “high numbers of sick individuals due to the proliferation of mosquitoes.”
Repetition of a familiar scenario
The government's decision recalls the emergency deployment carried out in July 2021, when Matanzas was the epicenter of the third wave of COVID-19 and more than 300 doctors were sent, including members of the Henry Reeve Brigade and personnel from the Revolutionary Armed Forces.
So, hospitals were lacking stretchers, water, oxygen, and medications, and the images of patients in the hallways circulated throughout the country.
Four years later, the conditions are not very different. The province is facing the co-circulation of several mosquito-borne viruses, without resources for diagnosis or regular fumigation.
The anti-vector brigades are operating with less than half of the necessary personnel, and reports of trash proliferation, unsanitary conditions, and neighborhoods left without fumigation for weeks are multiplying on social media.
Escalation of arboviral diseases and lack of control
MINSAP itself confirmed that chikungunya has already spread to five provinces —Matanzas, Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Pinar del Río, and La Habana— while dengue and oropouche continue to have active transmission in 12 territories.
Experts indicate that the accumulation of garbage, recent rains, and prolonged power outages have created the perfect conditions for the reproduction of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, a common vector for all those viruses.
Although the authorities claim that “there is no hospital collapse”, the transfer of doctors from other provinces contradicts this statement. At facilities such as the Faustino Pérez hospital and the Eliseo Noel Caamaño pediatric hospital, families of patients report long waits and a shortage of IV fluids, pain relievers, and hydration solutions.
A health déjà vu
The arrival of additional doctors could temporarily alleviate the pressure on the system, but the residents of Matanzas see it as a reflection of the endless cycle of crises and makeshift measures.
“Just like in the worst moments of the pandemic,” many are repeating on social media, recalling that the lack of prevention, resources, and transparency remains the true epidemic that affects Cuba.
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