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Gerardo Hernández Nordelo, national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) and one of the so-called "Five Heroes" of the Cuban regime, posted on his Facebook account about the delivery of a rechargeable lamp, powdered milk, and other supplies to the Dermatological Hospital "Guillermo Fernández Hernández-Baquero" in Havana, presenting it as an act of revolutionary solidarity.
The items, described as donations to the CDR, were delivered to Dr. Rolando Montero Díaz, Hero of Labor and director of the center, located in El Rincón, Boyeros municipality, on the outskirts of the capital, and which is the only national reference dermatology hospital in Cuba.
The images in the post show the doctor, dressed in a white coat, receiving the items in front of a CDR banner with the phrase "with guards up," alongside boxes marked with the logo of the organization's 65th anniversary and blue plastic bags containing supplies.
Far from being received as good news, the publication sparked a wave of indignation among Cubans who discussed it.
"The only country in the world where a healthcare worker has to live in poverty because their salary is not enough; it's sad to see this post," wrote a user.
Another comment summarized the contrast between official propaganda and everyday reality: "Look how beautifully you paint everything, my one-year-old daughter hasn't seen powdered milk in months, they didn't give her a layette, not even a simple loaf of bread from the store."
A third user directly pointed to the CDR: "I already knew that the CDRs are living off handouts and donations. What’s the need to publish that they gave a gift to someone? They only live off that, from slogans and posting that nonsense; it’s clear they don’t do anything."
The episode is not isolated. In December 2025, Hernández Nordelo had already showcased a donation of mosquito repellent from a Serbian company to the CDR, which was also met with mockery and criticism for its symbolic nature in light of the magnitude of the crisis.
The background of the situation is devastating. The Minister of Public Health himself admitted in July 2025 that Cuba operates with barely 30% of its essential medicines, which means that 461 out of 651 essential drugs are out of stock in the country.
In September 2025, only 3% of citizens found the medications they needed in state pharmacies, according to data from the regime itself collected in reports on the national health collapse.
The physical conditions of hospitals are not immune to the decline. Reference facilities have reported unsanitary conditions in intensive care units, with sewage water documented under patients' beds in January 2026.
In that context, the fact that the coordinator of the CDR presents the delivery of a rechargeable lamp and powdered milk to a national referral hospital as an achievement is not perceived by Cubans as solidarity, but rather as another illustration of the misery to which 67 years of communist dictatorship have reduced the island's healthcare system.
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