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The health crisis affecting Cuba has ceased to be a local issue and has become a matter of international urgency.
The spread of diseases such as chikungunya, dengue, and other arboviruses, amidst a collapsed hospital system, has ignited a wave of complaints and calls to action from Cuban civil society, both on the island and abroad.
Activists, independent doctors, and non-governmental organizations are demanding that the regime of Miguel Díaz-Canel officially declare a "national health emergency" and seek international medical and humanitarian assistance.
They claim that the country lacks the minimum resources to contain the crisis, and that the government's refusal to acknowledge its magnitude only worsens the situation.
A collapsed system and an abandoned population
In recent months, CiberCuba has documented dozens of testimonials that reflect the collapse of the healthcare system.
Hospitals without water or electricity, a shortage of essential medications, overcrowded emergency rooms, and exhausted doctors are part of the reality that Cubans are facing today. Social media is filled with messages from citizens claiming that "no one goes to the doctor anymore because there are no medications."
The chikungunya epidemic has spread throughout the country, hitting hard in provinces such as Havana, Matanzas, and Holguín.
According to official data from the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), more than 20,000 confirmed cases and tens of thousands of suspected cases are reported. However, independent records compiled by doctors and activists raise the actual figure to over 80,000 sick individuals and at least 87 deceased between October and November 2025.
The activist Amelia Calzadilla, one of the most recognized voices of Cuban civil society, described the situation as a "humanitarian collapse" and openly called for the international community to intervene with medical and humanitarian assistance:
"This is not politics, it's public health. People are dying in their homes without care, without IV fluids, without doctors. Cuba needs help, and it needs it now."
On his part, the doctor Lucio Enríquez Nodarse, exiled in Spain, went further by stating that the country “no longer has the technical capability or resources to face an epidemic of this level.”
In a public letter, he requested that "the Cuban government acknowledge its incapacity and allow the entry of international medical brigades, without propaganda or political control."
From "humanitarian intervention" to "health emergency": Legal Precision and Context
Although the expression "humanitarian intervention in Cuba" has become popular on social media, experts in international law warn that this term is not the most appropriate to describe the current situation.
In international law, "humanitarian intervention"—also known as "humanitarian interference"—involves coercive action or even the use of military force within the territory of a state, without its consent, in order to stop massive human rights violations.
This concept was invoked, for example, in the conflicts in Kosovo or Libya, but it is not formally recognized as an automatic right in international treaties. It can only be carried out with the authorization of the UN Security Council or with the consent of the affected state.
Therefore, although many Cubans use that expression as a synonym for “urgent help”, legally they are distinct concepts.
What civil society is truly proposing is that the regime declare a "national health emergency" — a provision outlined in the International Health Regulations of the WHO — and request international medical and technical assistance, as other countries have done in the face of epidemics or disasters.
That statement would open the doors to:
- Emergency medical missions of the World Health Organization (WHO) or the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
- Donations of medications, vaccines, equipment, and medical supplies.
- Technical assistance from laboratories, universities, and international organizations.
- Direct assistance from humanitarian NGOs and allied governments.
According to specialists in international law, declaring a health emergency does not undermine national sovereignty; rather, it reinforces the state's responsibility to protect the lives of its citizens by accepting international cooperation.
NGOs denounce the concealment and diversion of aid
Humanitarian organizations like Cruz Verde Internacional and Solidaridad Sin Fronteras have urged the United Nations and the WHO to intervene diplomatically with the Cuban regime.
According to reports, a large portion of the humanitarian aid sent from exile does not reach hospitals or the sick, but is instead diverted or sold by state officials.
In a statement issued from Miami, both NGOs urged the regime to "stop politicizing medical assistance" and declared that "it's not about ideology, but about saving human lives."
They also requested that any channel of international cooperation ensure the direct delivery of supplies to the beneficiaries, avoiding the intermediation of institutions controlled by the Communist Party.
The Cuban Observatory of Conflicts (OCC) was even more emphatic in stating that what is happening in Cuba is a “silent genocide”: “The State has abandoned its duty to protect life. The silence and censorship regarding thousands of sick and deceased individuals represent a form of institutional violence.”
The OCC's complaint connects with the principle of “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P), recognized by the United Nations since 2005, according to which state sovereignty entails the obligation to protect the life and dignity of the population.
When a government —through action or inaction— fails to fulfill that essential duty, the international community has the responsibility to act collectively to prevent further suffering, preferably through diplomatic, humanitarian, or healthcare assistance mechanisms.
In this context, the demand from activists and organizations is not for military intervention, but for coordinated international humanitarian action that pressures the Cuban government to acknowledge the extent of the crisis and allow the entry of life-saving aid.
The urgency of an international response
Beyond the numbers, the Cuban health crisis reveals a system in ruins, lacking infrastructure, medications, and a bureaucracy that prioritizes propaganda over public health.
Hospitals remain under-resourced, pharmacies are empty, and the population is defenseless against tropical epidemics that are now spreading into densely populated urban areas.
Meanwhile, the regime insists that "the situation is under control" and blames "the weather conditions and the U.S. blockade" for the shortages.
However, experts and citizens agree that the root of the problem is structural and domestic: decades of neglect, corruption, and abandonment of the healthcare system, which has become a propaganda tool for those in power.
The declaration of a health emergency would allow, according to activists, to politically pressure the government to acknowledge its shortcomings and open legal and diplomatic channels for international cooperation.
It is not about an invasion or armed intervention, but rather about a collective humanitarian action to prevent more deaths and curb an epidemic that has already surpassed the limits of internal control.
"Saving lives should not be a crime."
Amelia Calzadilla summarized it in a message circulating on social media: "Saving lives should not be a crime. If the government cannot do it, let others do it."
The demand has become a common cry among Cubans both inside and outside the island. The pressure is mounting for the regime to acknowledge the obvious: that the healthcare collapse is as severe as the economic one, and that no rhetoric can hide the death toll or the suffering of thousands of families.
The international community —NGOs, governments, multilateral organizations, and the Cuban diaspora— now faces a moral dilemma: should they wait for Havana to accept their help, or should they seek alternative mechanisms to assist a people that is slowly bleeding under the state's silence?
Meanwhile, in Cuban neighborhoods, people continue to be sick, hospitals remain empty, and hope is fading amid mosquitoes, fevers, and blackouts.
The country needs medicines, serums, doctors. But above all, it needs a government that prioritizes life over propaganda.
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