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A surgeon from the Hospital Docente Dr. Luis Felipe Graham Cañas in Cárdenas reported on Facebook the authorities' intention to move the only functional anesthesia machine at the hospital to the pediatric center in the city, which would leave the primary healthcare institution in the municipality without surgical capacity.
The doctor, identified as Koyen Sánchez, warned that the decision was made without consulting the specialists who best understand its consequences: "Those who are making the decisions are not taking into account the opinions of the anesthesia service, nor the electromedicine service of the Hospital, which are, in summary, the ones who KNOW the most about the consequences of this decision."
Dr. Sánchez pointed out that the transfer would worsen an already critical situation, as patients requiring emergency surgery would have to be referred to the “Faustino Pérez” Clinical Surgical Teaching Hospital in Matanzas, located about 45 kilometers from Cárdenas.
"It is also not taking into account the number of referrals that would be necessary for Faustino in a situation of 'zero fuel and few ambulances.' Consequences: complications for the patient due to delays in their care," he emphasized.
The surgeon also refuted the argument that the machine is only needed for pediatric patients: "In Cárdenas, children have also been operated on due to the increase in violence in schools. And I have performed those surgeries myself."
Sánchez also criticized the use of international donations as a justification for the measure: "Stop taking advantage of the 'camouflage' of donations, which, although it is true that it has resolved 'something', is not enough. Many of the things are either useless or incompatible with what we have, and therefore, we still have nothing."
The complaint was amplified by journalist Christian Arbolaez, who published it in its entirety under the headline "Outrage in Cárdenas over possible withdrawal of the only anesthesia machine from the hospital," noting that when a doctor decides to speak publicly “it is because they are closely familiar with the reality faced by patients, nurses, anesthetists, surgeons, and entire families who depend on that hospital.”
This is not the first recent complaint about the deterioration of the Cárdenas Hospital. On May 9, another doctor from the same facility anonymously warned that patients must bring their own supplies: syringes, tubes, intravenous therapy equipment, and even blood for transfusions, because the hospital is lacking these essential items.
The healthcare situation in Matanzas is one of progressive collapse. Although in January 2026 a Chinese Fotón ambulance was assigned to the territorial base in Cárdenas, the shortage of fuel severely limits its operability.
The Ministry of Public Health covered only 30% of the basic medicine supply in July 2025, and in April 2026, the UN declared a humanitarian emergency in Cuba, documenting more than 96,000 postponed surgeries, including 11,000 pediatric procedures.
Doctor Sánchez concluded his complaint with a question that encapsulates the outrage of the healthcare staff: "I don't know where the 'sense of belonging' that our bosses claim to have is."
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