A Cuban woman reported the death of her mother at the Policlínico Ángel Machaco Ameijeiras, in the municipality of Guanabacoa, Havana.
In a video published by the independent platform Alas Tensas, the woman walks through the emergency area and states: “There is nothing, there are no patients, urgent service, the doctor, it’s empty here, there are no workers. People are dying, my mom died here yesterday and there is nothing, nothing, the clinic is empty and there are no medications, the director is not here.”
During the recording, she shows the halls of the polyclinic and adds: "The nurses are with the patients, and the doctors don’t know what they’re going to do, there’s nothing here, there’s nothing for therapy, the equipment is broken, my mother died yesterday."
He also claims that the oxygen equipment was not working when his mother needed attention: "Oxygen, the oxygen valve wasn't showing up. The doctor on duty, who is not the one from today, told me it was broken. My mom arrived here alive, there was nothing, the doctors don’t know what they are going to do... I just buried her today and there is nothing."
The testimony reflects the shortcomings of the Cuban healthcare system, characterized by a lack of resources, poorly functioning equipment, and medical centers with limited services.
In their publication, Alas Tensas stated: “Meanwhile, the Cuban regime continues to boast of being a ‘medical power’, but in polyclinics and hospitals, there is a shortage of everything: medications, staff, water, electricity, and even cleanliness. Every day in Cuba, people are dying without care, without medications, and without hope, victims of institutional neglect.”
Cases like this are repeated in different provinces. At the beginning of November, a mother identified as Leydis Moreno reported the poor conditions and lack of medical attention at the Pediatric Hospital of Holguín, where her son is hospitalized with a neurological illness. Moreno stated that she only received a response after sharing her situation on social media.
Days later, the Cuban Observatory of Conflicts described the health crisis on the island as a "silent genocide," pointing to the lack of resources and institutional negligence as the main causes of the deterioration of the healthcare system.
In parallel, the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) acknowledged over 20,000 cases of chikungunya in Cuba, although citizen reports suggest a more serious situation, with overcrowded hospitals and a shortage of medications.
The report from Guanabacoa adds to others that highlight the difficulties faced by Cubans in accessing adequate medical care amid the current health crisis.
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