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The Cuban journalist José Luis Tan Estrada reported on social media that two three-month-old twins were abandoned a few days ago at the Camagüey Pediatric Hospital.
According to the reporter, the children are being hospitalized without family accompaniment and under the care of nursing staff.
According to their publication, the babies are currently in the Gastroenterology ward after experiencing health complications following their older sister giving them caldosa.
The communicator assured that the case pertains to the municipality of Esmeralda, and added that the mother is in custody, while the other minor—a 6-year-old girl—was placed in a home for children without family support. The case is “under investigation,” according to the conclusion of their message.
The post generated a wave of comments from users who, on one hand, expressed outrage over the abandonment, and on the other, urged caution regarding the family circumstances. They even raised concerns about the lack of milk and the feeding of the babies, as well as questions about why the mother might be incarcerated and what legal alternatives could exist in such cases.
Internet users stated that this is not an isolated case and recalled another from the 1990s. "This is not new; when I studied in the 90s, during the time I rotated through the pediatric ward, there were some twins and a beautiful blonde girl also in that same room. I believe this has existed for life," he said.
So far, there has been no official statement from the authorities or from the health institution itself.
In recent years, the cases of child abandonment in Cuba have increased, reflecting the social and economic deterioration that the island is experiencing.
In March 2023, the abandonment of six children in Santa Clara was reported, with ages ranging from two to twelve, who were left alone for more than 33 hours before authorities intervened. The complaint, spread on social media, sparked outrage over institutional complacency and highlighted the lack of protection for children in vulnerable situations.
Few months later, in October of the same year, another alarming incident was reported in that same city: a mother left her one-year-old son in the care of an elderly man with dementia to emigrate to the United States.
The government intervened to take in the minor, amidst a context marked by the exodus and abandonment of entire families seeking to escape the national crisis.
In November 2023, Havana was the scene of a tragedy that shocked public opinion: the discovery of a dead newborn in a garbage container in the San Isidro neighborhood of Old Havana.
The case, reported by activists and neighbors, adds to a series of similar episodes in various provinces across the country, related to unintended pregnancies and the lack of access to contraceptives and resources for maternal care.
The incident renewed the debate on child abandonment and the structural deficiencies faced by Cuban families, where poverty, lack of social support, and despair have led to an increase in extreme situations of child neglect.
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