Father and son amateur radio operators rescue girl during blackout in Granma

In the midst of a blackout that left several communities in Río Cauto, Granma, without electricity or communications, two amateur radio operators managed to coordinate the urgent transfer of a six-year-old girl with appendicitis, in an episode that highlights both citizen solidarity and the vulnerabilities of the system.

The story was narrated on Facebook by José Manuel Rodríguez Valdivia, who identifies himself as a government employee in Río Cauto and recounted the intervention of Luis Manuel Bonilla Jorge and his son Edgar Bonilla Mainegra during the medical emergency.

According to the testimony, on February 18, Dr. Alexeis from the Grito de Yara Popular Council Polyclinic attempted unsuccessfully to contact the Integrated Medical Emergencies System due to a power outage and the failure of the telephone base station.

The minor, identified as Daliannis Zamora Ramos, had been experiencing pain and fever for over 12 hours due to suspected appendicitis.

Without a coordinated ambulance or operational conventional channels, the doctor went to the home of the amateur radio operators.

Although their devices also had no battery due to the blackout caused by the fuel shortage, they managed to activate them thanks to the battery from a motorcycle borrowed from a neighbor.

The general call was received from Santiago de Cuba by station CL8 YDY, which was able to connect with the emergency system.

In less than an hour, arrangements were made for her transfer to the Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Hospital, where the girl underwent successful surgery.

The performance of father and son once again demonstrates the value of amateur radio in critical situations and the commitment of citizens who take the initiative to provide what should be guaranteed by institutions.

At the same time, the situation exposes the precarious state of communications and the structural challenges the healthcare system faces in responding to emergencies during extended blackouts.

In a country where the energy crisis directly affects basic services, stories like this combine individual heroism with an inevitable question about the State's actual capacity to ensure timely medical care when essential resources fail.