The governor of Saint Petersburg, Aleksandr Beglov announced the sending of three ambulances and a Lada Iskra intended for the healthcare system on the island.
In a post on Facebook, the Russian Embassy in Cuba stated that the vehicles are part of a donation that "aims to enhance" medical care in Havana, Matanzas, and Santiago de Cuba.
Beglov inspected the vehicles and affirmed that with the shipment “they fulfill their promise” of delivering three ambulances to “Cuban friends” so that residents of those provinces can receive “high-quality” medical care.
He added that the ambulances are equipped with "the most modern medical equipment" manufactured in St. Petersburg and that Russian specialists will assist Cuban colleagues with the operation and maintenance of the vehicles.
According to the released information, during Beglov's visit to Cuba in November, the governor handed over vehicle certificates to the provincial governors of Havana, Matanzas, and Santiago de Cuba.
The note specifies that the vehicles will be loaded into containers and sent to the island by sea in mid-January.
The report details that the ambulances are equipped with ventilators, electrocardiographs, pressure regulators, inhalers, electric aspirators, containers with thermal insulation, gas distribution systems.
The donation occurs in a context of ambulance shortages in Cuba for several years.
On several occasions, patients have died while waiting for that service.
In June of last year, an elderly man passed away after being hit by a bus from the company Transgaviota in the Havana municipality of Playa, without receiving timely medical attention, as over 45 minutes passed before an ambulance arrived at the scene, during which time the man, apparently showing vital signs initially, lost his life.
In April, an ambulance ended up partially embedded in the wall of a dilapidated building in the city of Cienfuegos.
The accident has been added to a troubling list of similar incidents in recent months in Cuba. In January of this year, an ambulance was involved in an accident in Matanzas due to causes that are still unclear.
Other recent cases include ambulances wrecked after colliding with trucks, tourist vehicles, and even a horse-drawn cart. These situations reflect a growing pattern of risk that affects both medical personnel and patients.
Most of these vehicles show obvious signs of deterioration, lack of maintenance, and age, which increases the likelihood of accidents in a context where Cuba's road infrastructure is also in crisis.
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