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The independent reporter Yosmany Mayeta Labrada reported this Monday on difficulties in the hemodialysis service at the Hospital Clínico Quirúrgico Juan Bruno Zayas in Santiago de Cuba, where patients went for hours without receiving treatment due to a lack of the necessary salt for the disinfection plant to operate.
In a first post on Facebook, Mayeta stated: “The disinfection plant does not have salt, which is why the hemodialysis patients at the Juan Bruno Zayas Clinical Surgical Hospital are not receiving their treatment. Today, Monday, no one has entered since 5 in the morning," accompanying the message with images taken inside the hospital.
The journalist cited a patient who claimed to have experienced a similar situation days before: “Saturday was the same. Something was only resolved when the publications reached those it concerned. I am Christian; I don’t like force, but I fear for my health.”
In a subsequent update, Mayeta reported that the service started past four in the afternoon. “They just started, I'm already on the machine, but they will be here for four hours and then it's the other group's turn. Until who knows what time the next day,” the journalist quoted the patient.
The reporter also mentioned that power outages occurred during the day: “The electricity went out. There was a huge rush. I don't know what happened to the therapy patients, those connected to artificial ventilators. What a disaster.”
According to him, the delays impact the physical condition of the patients: "These patients cannot go so long without dialysis. They become unwell, exhausted, and the helplessness kills them faster than the disease." So far, there has been no official explanation regarding the lack of salt or the reported electrical failures.
Mayeta's posts generated numerous comments. Several people lamented the situation and agreed that "there is always a deficit of something." Others described what happened as "a calvary" and recalled that "every day is a miracle to be able to receive treatment." Some users also questioned how, in a country "surrounded by the sea," there could be a lack of salt to keep the hemodialysis system operational.
The Juan Bruno Zayas Hospital has been the site of other citizen complaints in recent weeks. At the end of November, Yosmany Mayeta Labrada published photographs showing broken bathrooms, flooded hallways, and accumulation of trash in some areas of the facility, including the 5D area, designated for patients with chronic illnesses. “Entering a bathroom is a challenge... it shouldn’t be this way for a sick person,” shared a family member cited on that occasion.
Days later, on December 3rd, the hospital received a donation of 100 mattresses from the Union of Military Industries of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), presented during a public event with Communist Party authorities and the provincial Government, “in the context of Latin American Medicine Day and the centenary of Fidel Castro.”
The delivery generated mixed reactions among those who appreciated the assistance and those who felt that the act did not address the structural issues of the hospital. "Please, the lies keep coming. There are no medicines in any hospital; they stole everything and are selling it on the street as if it were peanuts," wrote one user. Another commented: "That was for those affected by the cyclone, not for redecorating the hospital."
The Santiago hospital has been at the center of public discussion in recent weeks due to various complaints and official actions that, according to several users, have not addressed the daily challenges faced by patients and medical staff.
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