The death of a 15-year-old girl in Camagüey has sparked a wave of outrage on social media, after a video surfaced showing her body being transported in an improvised state vehicle serving as a hearse due to the lack of resources in the province's hospitals.
The Cuban journalist Mario J. Pentón shared images showing several men carrying a stretcher covered with a green sheet towards a truck. According to the report, the incident occurred on Thursday, November 13, and the vehicle was "borrowed from a company" because no hearse was available.
"Girl from last night, just 15 years old... this is the biggest thing in the world. A company lent the hearse, because there is no hearse here," a person can be heard saying in the video, amidst an atmosphere of sorrow.
The images—widely circulated on social media—have been interpreted by many Cubans as a sign of the health crisis the country is experiencing, amid a resurgence of arboviruses (dengue, chikungunya, and Oropouche) and the lack of basic supplies in hospitals and funeral homes.
Crossing of versions
After the publication, a user identified as Enid Bárbara Valcárcel Moreno —who claims to be the mother of a doctor from the polyclinic where the case was handled— commented that the minor arrived lifeless and that the preliminary diagnosis did not confirm a connection to the virus.
"My son received the case after she had already passed away. An autopsy was recommended because the symptoms were sudden: high fever and some bloody vomit. His medical opinion is that she could have had an aneurysm or some other undiagnosed internal condition," he wrote.
However, a supposed sister of the victim (this publication contacted her, but as of the writing of this note, no response has been received), identified as Sheila Ginarte, responded harshly to the comment, denying that version and denouncing the lack of attention and respect in the hospitals.
“My little sister had nothing, just 15 years old and a desire to conquer the world. She passed away from the virus. There are no medications, there is nothing. And now they make up that she had another illness,” she replied.
Symptom of a deeper crisis
The case occurs in the context of an unrecognized health emergency, where the regime has acknowledged active transmission of arboviruses in over 30 municipalities and hospitals are overwhelmed.
While the authorities announce on television strategies to “confront the epidemic like COVID-19,” citizens face death with resignation and without basic resources, even to provide a dignified burial for their loved ones.
The video from Camagüey, painful and revealing, has become a symbol of the degradation of the Cuban healthcare system: a country where neither the living are cared for nor the dead can be mourned with dignity.
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