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A fire in the intermediate care room of Neurology at the Saturnino Lora Torres Provincial Hospital, the main healthcare facility in Santiago de Cuba, forced the evacuation of 12 patients from the intensive and intermediate care units this Saturday.
The independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada was the first to report the incident, based on testimonies from sources and family members within the hospital, amidst an institutional secrecy that the authorities were unable to maintain.
According to the collected testimonies, the fire originated in the compressor of an air conditioner located in the technical air conditioning room of the ward. The incident began with a strong smell similar to ammonia, followed by electrical sparking.
However, the version offered by state media differs from these testimonies.
The doctor Liader Aguilera Ramos, acting director of the hospital, confirmed to CMKC Radio Revolución that the incident originated around 4:15 PM due to a voltage surge that caused the electrical lines of the air conditioning equipment in the intensive care unit to overheat, resulting in a small fire.
According to reports, the incident worsened when hospital staff used a liquid extinguisher instead of a foam one, which caused a short circuit and led to an explosion that blew off the door of the technical room and damaged the glass fixtures in the area.
According to official statements, the handling of the incident occurred differently. The executive stated that the fire was quickly controlled thanks to the intervention of medical and technical staff, including nurses, a trauma specialist with training as a firefighter, and the on-duty electrician, who used dry chemical extinguishers to put out the flames.
A nurse from the center confirmed the source of the fire: "It was the compressor of an air conditioning unit that caught fire, but there were no serious consequences. The patients were evacuated immediately."
Of the 12 evacuated patients, four were transferred to other centers by ambulances from the Integrated Medical Emergency System and motorized patrols, several of whom were urgently referred to the Juan Bruno Zayas Clinical Surgical Hospital, also in Santiago de Cuba.
According to the official report, four patients were transferred to the intensive care units of the Joaquín Castillo Duany Military Hospital and the Juan Bruno Zayas Hospital, while two others were referred to the Cardiocenter.
The remaining patients continued their treatment in other areas of the hospital, following an internal reorganization that included support from the Cardiology and Neurology departments.
The remaining eight were relocated to other critical rooms within Saturnino Lora itself, whose affected area also housed intensive care patients and had leaks coming from the upper floor, a situation that reflects the silent health crime that Cuban hospitals are experiencing.
On Saturday, several fire units, as well as authorities from the Communist Party and provincial Public Health, were present at the hospital. Anonymous sources within the hospital reported that "patients and families from other cubicles are not being allowed to leave."
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