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A doctor from the Julio M. Aristegui Villamil General Teaching Hospital in Cárdenas, in Matanzas, anonymously published a strong denunciation of the collapse of the Cuban healthcare system this week in the Facebook group "Cardenenses en Facebook," detailing the three major shortcomings that patients at the facility face daily.
The professional, who concealed their identity for "obvious reasons," wrote that from the moment patients are admitted to the emergency room, they must provide their own supplies: syringes, catheters, Levine tubes, aerosol mouthpieces, venous access and transfusion equipment, and even the blood for transfusion.
The second complaint directly targets cancer patients: thousands of individuals with cancer are waiting for surgeries that are not performed because the operating rooms lack muscle relaxants, alcohol, and anesthetics, even though the patients themselves have managed to acquire gloves, sutures, mesh, and dressings on their own.
The third point describes the impossibility of reaching a diagnosis: it is not possible to conduct CT scans, MRIs, colonoscopies, endoscopies, Doppler ultrasounds, or multiple blood tests, which leaves patients "poorly evaluated."
"In summary, free healthcare is a myth; yes, it’s not charged, but the service is inadequate, and even with money, one cannot access the necessary services," wrote the doctor, who clarified that he was publishing "just to vent."
In the comments of the post, a second user who identified as a doctor from the same hospital replied with a brief statement: "I am a doctor at that hospital, and the disappointment is great."
Another user, Ana Zayas, who claimed to be a direct victim of the center, stated that "there is a significant lack of humanity and respect for the patients" and that the hospital "has nothing to offer the community."
Susy Mederos added an additional dimension to the issue: "There are people who donate medications and then steal them to resell on the streets," highlighting internal corruption as another factor that exacerbates the crisis.
The Cárdenas Hospital has a recent history of documented complaints. In October 2025, doctor Miguel Alejandro Guerra Domínguez reported that basic tests were not being conducted on patients with dengue, while provincial authorities denied the allegations. In January 2025, the hospital was without a functional elevator for 15 days, forcing patients to be carried on stretchers up the stairs. In April 2026, a nurse who had returned from retirement passed away due to a lack of staff.
The complaint arises within a historically significant health crisis. The Minister of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, admitted in February 2026 that the system is "on the brink of collapse". The UN declared a humanitarian emergency in Cuba in April 2026, documenting over 96,000 postponed surgeries — including 11,000 pediatric surgeries — and 32,000 pregnant women at risk, with a to assist two million people in eight provinces.
The massive exodus of professionals exacerbates the situation: the salaries of Cuban doctors range between 7,000 and 10,000 Cuban pesos per month —equivalent to between 16 and 20 dollars— well below the basic basket. This month, a Cuban doctor publicly left the profession because her salary of 6,562 pesos was not enough to live on.
The Ministry of Public Health only covers 30% of the basic medicine package, according to data from July 2025, which forces centers like the one in Cárdenas to rely on international charity to operate: Belgian-Portuguese citizen Adriano Solidaire has sent at least ten donations to the hospital, including a full container of medical equipment in November 2024.
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