A video posted on social media shows a patient being transported in a chair at the Vladimir Ilich Lenin Hospital in Holguín due to a lack of stretchers at the medical center.
The images were shared by the Cuban activist Ismary Bacallao, who resides in Canada, accompanied by the message: “This is at the Lenin Hospital in Holguín.”
In the video, which has garnered over 11,000 reactions, 1,300 comments, and 1,800 shares, a man can be heard saying: "Look over there, there's not even a stretcher in this damn hospital, look at the situation we're dealing with, look over there because there's no stretcher."
The sequence shows what appears to be the entrance of the center, while two men carry the patient in a chair.
Reports of hospital deterioration in Cuba are becoming more frequent
The post sparked hundreds of reactions and comments that, in addition to expressing outrage, offer personal testimonies from those who claim to have experienced similar situations in hospitals across Cuba.
A user recounted that her mother was admitted to that same facility and she had to sleep in a chair "because there were no beds for companions." She also mentioned that there was no water, sanitation, or food.
Another person claimed that at Lenin “there were no stretchers, no IVs, no syringes,” and that family members had to bring everything, while “the exhausted doctors were overwhelmed.”
A woman recalled that her grandmother "died waiting for a stretcher" and that she was taken out of the room "in a broken wheelchair and then in someone's arms."
Another testimony from Havana reported that her husband “had to wait for two hours on a stretcher without a mattress because there wasn’t another one available,” something that, she said, “is common in all hospitals.”
A user identifying as a former healthcare worker explained that many times they had to carry patients "in chairs or in their arms because the elevators weren't working," which he described as "humiliating for everyone."
A mother also stated that when her son underwent surgery at that hospital, she had to buy "even the sutures" because there was "neither alcohol nor cotton."
Several messages highlighted the overall deterioration of the system. “This is what you have in Cuba: a healthcare system in ruins. But the television only shows Díaz-Canel greeting doctors who don't even have a scalpel,” commented an internet user.
From abroad, an émigré lamented: "I lived in Canada and it breaks my heart to see this. How is it possible that a patient has to be carried in a chair? There is no justification."
Another person pointed out that their brother works at that hospital and that, although "sometimes they have to improvise because there are no resources," they insisted that "it's not the doctor's fault, it's the fault of the system."
A comment added from Havana recalled: "I had an intestinal infection and they had nothing, neither serum nor medicine. It's very sad. Tourists live like kings, but the reality for Cubans is very harsh."
Another user reported that her sister was treated at the hospital in Cerro by a doctor who "had a cigarette in his hand and told her: figure it out as best you can," in a context where "there were no gloves, gauze, nothing."
A woman claimed that she accompanied her mother to an oncology appointment at Lenin and that "there was no chair or stretcher," additionally describing that "the hospital was full of bedbugs" and that "some nurses steal medications and give patients water."
Another internet user lamented: “I lost my mother in 2012 because there was no stretcher or doctor, just a student. It has always been a disaster.”
From Bayamo, someone else confirmed that "it's the same": there are no ambulances or resources, and "if you don't bring your own, you die."
"It hurts to see our people like this. Doctors perform miracles, but without resources, they cannot. How sad," summed up a recent comment that reflects the overall tone of despair shared by many.
A recurring pattern: other recent cases
The video from Lenin Hospital is not an isolated incident but part of a pattern of collapse that is repeating in hospitals across Cuba.
In September, a newborn baby had to be carried up the stairs of the Hijas de Galicia hospital in Havana because the elevator was out of order. The scene was recorded and shared on social media by a relative of the baby, who wrote: “Cuba, how much longer, my God.”
In Guantánamo, a technical malfunction paralyzed the elevators of the Agostinho Neto Teaching General Hospital for over two weeks. During this time, patients, food, and even deceased bodies were manually transported between floors, while workers and family members reported the deterioration of the facilities.
In Holguín, the Lenin Hospital itself was the scene in October of another crisis when power outages interrupted the hemodialysis treatment of several kidney patients. The institution acknowledged on social media that “voltage fluctuations and a failure in the power plant” affected the operation of the essential machines for this treatment.
A few days later, the center made headlines again following the visit of Miguel Díaz-Canel to the hospital, affected by the flooding from Hurricane Melissa. While the president claimed the center “remained vital,” workers at the hospital described a very different situation: “There is no electricity, no water, and the generators can barely keep up. We are doing what we can.”
A system at its limit
These episodes, along with the recent report in Holguín, reflect the structural crisis of the Cuban hospital system, which is affected by a lack of resources, the deterioration of infrastructure, and the mass emigration of medical personnel.
The video is yet another example of the collapse of the healthcare system in Cuba, which continues to crumble in the face of the regime's indifference. A brief scene, but one that encapsulates the fragility of a system that leaves patients and their families literally bearing the weight of the crisis.
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