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The management of the Provincial Clinical Surgical Teaching Hospital "Saturnino Lora Torres" in Santiago de Cuba confirmed this Sunday a power outage in its Intensive Care and Intermediate Units, which required the evacuation of the 12 patients hospitalized in that area.
According to the official statement published by the Sierra Maestra newspaper and CMKC Radio Revolución, the incident was caused by "an overload of voltage in the electrical lines supplying the Intensive and Intermediate Care Unit," which led to the overheating of the main line and the tripping of the breakers, temporarily shutting down the room.
Four of the 12 patients were transferred out of the center with the support of ambulances from the Sistema Integrado de Urgencias Médicas and a motorcycle patrol, while the remaining eight were relocated to other Critical Care rooms within the hospital itself.
The event was attended by Governor Manuel Falcón Hernández, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, the General Secretary of the Health Union Sirelis Pérez Ferrer, and the General Director of Health, Dr. Miguel Ángel Díaz Núñez.
The official statement emphasized that "thanks to the swift actions of health professionals and authorities, there were no reported loss of human lives," and specified that the Provincial Fire Department and the Hospital Maintenance Brigade continued to monitor the event.
The incident was reported initially by the independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada, who mentioned a fire at the site.
"According to testimonies received on our website, everything reportedly began in the technical room where the air conditioning system for the hall is located. Initially, a strong smell resembling ammonia was detected, followed by an electric spark. In attempting to control the situation, a liquid extinguisher was used instead of a foam one, which caused a short circuit and led to an explosion that blew off the door of the establishment and damaged the glassware in the area, our sources reveal," said Mayeta.
El Saturnino Lora has a long history of complaints: in January 2025, bedbugs and cockroaches were documented in patient beds, in March 2025, authorities banned taking photographs to conceal the complaints, and in November 2025, the deplorable state of its bathrooms was reported, with leaks, broken pipes, and mold.
Governor Falcón Hernández himself stated in February 2026 that no hospitals in the province would be closed despite the energy crisis, although he acknowledged that power outages force the postponement of non-urgent tests and procedures.
The national context exacerbates the situation: Cuba recorded generation deficits of up to 1,850 MW daily in 2026, the National Electric System completely collapsed for 29 hours on March 16, and the UN reported on April 11 at least 96,000 pending surgeries in the country, including 11,000 for children.
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