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After several failed attempts, the provincial government of Sancti Spíritus announced the start of construction for its crematorium, a project that has long been postponed and aims to alleviate pressure on funeral services and prevent the need for transfers to other provinces.
Since November, forces from the Provincial Directorate of Necrological Services have begun cleaning, clearing, debris collection, and land conditioning in an area known as La Rosita, near the sanatorium that provides care for HIV patients, in the provincial capital, reported the official newspaper Escambray.
The actions, carried out by teams from various municipalities, represent the preliminary step to the investment stage of the project.
Yoel Aquiles Martínez, provincial director of Necrological Services, specified that the crematorium will be built on an old facility belonging to the Health sector, which has been underutilized for years, allowing for "progress on what has been constructed" to adapt it to the approved design.
The executive also assured that the cremation oven for bone remains, along with its chimney, has been stored for years, and that its assembly could begin at the start of next year with the assistance of a specialized brigade from Acinox.
Authorities emphasize that the crematorium will operate on gas, feature a dual burner system to reduce emissions, and will be supported by solar panels that would allow it to function 24 hours a day.
The complex would also include a chapel for religious rituals, a garden, a café, and service areas, with a total cost exceeding 25 million pesos.
The announcement comes in a context marked by the structural crisis of funeral services in Cuba.
In the provinces that still lack these facilities, it is necessary to transport the bodies or skeletal remains to other regions for cremation, incurring high economic and human costs for the families.
Cases like that of Las Tunas, where the lack of a crematorium has overwhelmed cemeteries and forced the incineration of bodies in neighboring provinces, show that the presence of equipment does not always ensure its actual operation.
This is compounded by the recent experience in Havana, where the regime promised a “rehabilitation” of crematories and funeral homes following reports of service collapse, delays in cremations, and the accumulation of corpses.
Although the authorities in Sancti Spíritus present the project as a long-awaited advance, the history of delayed works, resources stored for years, and paralyzed crematories in the country raises doubts about whether the facility will operate stably or join the list of official promises that do not, in practice, alleviate the daily struggles of Cuban families.
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