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The "dream" vacation of a Spanish tourist in Cuba turned into a real nightmare after being admitted to a hospital in Villa Clara, where he remains in critical condition following two emergency surgeries and without the antibiotics he needs to save his life.
Pedro Daniel Bernad Rodríguez, a 51-year-old resident of Épila, Zaragoza, arrived in Cuba on October 3rd to enjoy a vacation, but a week later, on the 10th, he began to feel unwell at the hotel where he was staying and was transferred to the Arnaldo Milián Castro Provincial Clinical Surgical Hospital in Santa Clara.
Bernad suffered a volvulus (twisting or looping of the intestine upon itself), a serious condition that became complicated and required him to undergo surgery on two occasions.
Spanish is still hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Cuban hospital, in an extremely grave condition, following several post-operative complications and pneumonia, which reversed an initial apparent improvement, according to statements made to Spanish newspapers by his brother-in-law, Daniel Mosteo.
Concerned about the situation, Mosteo and his wife, the patient's sister, traveled to the island to be with him and closely monitor his progress.
But at the hospital in Santa Clara, the couple encountered a situation that raised alarms for the family: the lack of essential antibiotics for Bernad's treatment and the poor material and hygienic conditions of the facility.
Mosteo explained to El Periódico de Aragón that on Sunday, Bernad's condition worsened after suffering another intestinal complication and that he needs colistin, an antibiotic that is not available in the healthcare institution.
Thanks to the help of "friends and contacts," they managed to obtain part of the doses of the treatment, but these only cover two of the seven days that they need to be administered.
He also pointed out the disastrous situation and limitations of the hospital. “When you see the material and hygienic conditions of the hospital, it makes your heart sink. It is a country with very little healthcare infrastructure,” he said to the newspaper La Razón.
Anxiously, they have been working for days to repatriate him to Spain as soon as possible, and they turned to their country's consulate in Havana for support in achieving this.
However, the support from the Consulate General of Spain has not been sufficient to arrange for Bernad's repatriation by medicalized air transport, which was the family's request. The insurance company that the tourist contracted for his trip to Cuba and the diplomatic mission denied the request to return him home.
“Since we couldn't bring him back to our country, we proposed bringing the necessary medication in a medicalized plane here. However, due to the high cost, around 300,000 euros, they rejected it,” Mosteo stated.
In addition, the Spanish embassy informed the family that official repatriation was impossible, as it is only "considered in situations of collective emergency."
Meanwhile, the travel insurance "has been covering all the costs" of hospitalization and other matters, Mosteo indicated, while announcing that the patient was to be transferred to a hospital in Havana this Tuesday.
He considered that Santa Clara "has great people and professionals, but the resources are very limited. Today Daniel will be transferred to the hospital in Havana, which is more advanced in this regard, let's hope," he expressed hopefully.
So far, it has not been revealed what caused the illness of the Spanish tourist in Cuba or which hotel he was staying at.
His family created a crowdfunding so that people and institutions can help with the difficult circumstances they are facing.
On Monday, the mayor of Épila, Jesús Bazán Sanz, expressed his support for Bernad and his family through an official communication, in which he updated the community on the health status of his fellow citizen and the efforts being made to facilitate his repatriation to Spain, "when his situation becomes favorable."
"Our best wishes for a swift recovery," he expressed. "All our support, strength, and encouragement to your family and loved ones during these challenging times."
The City Council of Épila announced this Tuesday on its social media the establishment of a bank account intended for the repatriation of Bernad to his homeland and appealed to the altruism of the community to achieve this.
"We are raising funds to bring him back from Cuba, and we need your help to fly him back on a medicalized aircraft. Your solidarity is our only hope. Every donation counts!" he urged.
The case of Bernad brings to mind other terrible experiences faced by foreign visitors who have needed healthcare services and have witnessed the deplorable conditions of hospitals and other health facilities in the country, or received poor medical care due to lack of medications and supplies, negligence from the staff, or other reasons.
Cuba is experiencing a severe economic crisis, which has also strongly impacted the tourism sector due to shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, mainly. In addition, there is increasing insecurity due to rising crime rates. Governments of several countries have warned their citizens about the risks of traveling to the island.
According to data published by the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), by August 2025, the country received 1,791,363 travelers, a 15.7% decrease compared to the same period last year. Of these, 1,259,972 were international tourists, representing 347,896 fewer visitors than in 2024, clear evidence of the collapse of the sector.
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