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A mother in the city of Santiago de Cuba reported severe hygiene deficiencies and delays in care at the Dr. Juan de la Cruz pediatric teaching hospital, the North Children's Hospital, known as "la ONDI," where children with fevers, injuries, and respiratory crises share a ward that lacks basic conditions.
The person, who requested to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, has their few-month-old baby admitted to that institution after the child contracted a virus that led him to intensive care and then to the fever ward.
Although the minor is improving, the family reports that the conditions of the place pose a risk to all patients, as reported on their page on Facebook by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada.
According to the testimony, the bathrooms are "completely dirty," the room has "many sick children," and in the Guard Room, families spend "hours" waiting to receive care or admission.
Mothers describe an overcrowded environment, with poor maintenance, inadequate hygiene, and a constant flow of patients that the hospital cannot manage.
Other testimonies published on social media confirm the deterioration. Several mothers claim to have spent whole nights without water, a situation that turns bathrooms into breeding grounds for infection and makes it impossible to maintain cleanliness.
Some reported the presence of bedbugs, unbearable odors, and conditions they consider unworthy for a pediatric center.
User opinions reflect a pattern; while some insist on shared responsibility for hygiene, the majority point to the structural collapse of the hospital, the shortage of cleaning staff, and the lack of basic supplies.
Many recall that the aides work without gloves and without sufficient materials, and that at times they have to bring rags from their homes to try to maintain order.
Other mothers recount prolonged waits in the Emergency Room, constant changes of beds, and a distant attitude in the midst of a saturated system.
The dominant feeling is that the ONDI has lost the prestige it once had, and that the current situation jeopardizes the health of newborns and children with fever, respiratory issues, or skin lesions.
Families are calling for urgent intervention from health authorities to ensure minimal conditions of hygiene, water, cleanliness, and care in a hospital that should be a safe haven for children, not a space that increases risks.
Several hospitals in Cuba are in a state of deterioration, with deplorable hygienic conditions, such as dirty bathrooms, broken pipes, mold on the walls, and an overall atmosphere of neglect.
This situation is a reflection of the collapse of the healthcare system on the island, which affects both patients and medical staff.
A family from Santiago reported on social media on Wednesday alleged medical negligence at ONDI, where a one-year-old girl remains in critical condition.
Additionally, at the provincial hospital Saturnino Lora in the eastern city, there have been reports of deplorable hygiene conditions in the bathrooms with accumulated dirt, leaks, and a foul odor.
Residents of the 12 Plantas building in the heart of Santiago de Cuba recently reported a viral outbreak that has already led to the death of a doctor and has left another person in serious condition, amidst neglect in healthcare and unsanitary conditions.
Such reports occur at a time when Santiago de Cuba is under health alert due to a sustained increase in fever cases associated with dengue and chikungunya.
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