A young man with apparent mental health issues lay on the road for several hours at Morro in Santiago de Cuba, with neither the police nor emergency medical services responding despite multiple calls for help, according to independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada.
Neighbors and passersby expressed concern for the boy's safety due to the constant flow of vehicles on that main road in the city, one of the busiest in Santiago de Cuba.
"For several hours now, a young man with apparent mental health issues has been lying in the middle of the Morro road, raising concern among neighbors and passersby who fear for his life due to the constant flow of vehicles in the area," reported witnesses to the situation.
The Morro road had already been the site of previous tragedies, such as the accident between a motorcycle and a motor scooter at its intersection with Calle 11.
The situation reflects a pattern of institutional neglect that is repeated in various parts of Cuba. In Camagüey, residents of Camagüey reported the complete abandonment of a patient under equally alarming circumstances, with authorities failing to respond in a timely manner.
The crisis in the care of people with mental illnesses is particularly severe. Recent research in psychiatric facilities across the country, highlighting the deterioration of the mental health system in Cuba.
The lack of response from emergency services is not an isolated incident. Recently, the death of a patient due to the delay in the arrival of an ambulance was reported, a case that sparked outrage on social media and highlighted the serious deficiencies in the medical emergency system.
In the same Santiago de Cuba, another family reported the disappearance of an elderly person in the same city, adding another episode to the series of vulnerable situations without state attention.
All of this occurs in a context where the Cuban government itself admitted the health deterioration in Santiago, although without providing concrete solutions to the crisis.
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