Related videos:
The Cuban journalist José Luis Tan Estrada published a photograph this Saturday that shows the Perinatal Care Room of the Maternal Hospital in Camagüey turned into a parking lot for electric motorcycles, in an image that reflects the collapse of the healthcare system on the Island.
The photo, shared under the hashtag #TanteandoCuba, shows at least three motorcycles parked in the hallway of the room, including a blue bike and a Bucatti brand motorcycle in black and red, on a floor of hospital tiles and between walls with white tiles typical of a clinical area.
"When you think you've seen it all. The Perinatal Care Room of the Camagüey Maternal Hospital turned into a parking lot," wrote Tan Estrada when sharing the image.
The journalist warned that "while newborns and vulnerable patients require a sterile and protected area, motorcycles and vehicles enter a closed room, increasing the risk of infections."
The affected hospital is the Ana Betancourt de Mora University Provincial Gyneco-Obstetric Hospital, the primary maternal-gyneco-obstetric center in the province, whose Neonatology service was once recognized as one of the best in the country, with over 160 children ventilated in a year and a survival rate of 95.6%.
A Perinatal Care Unit attends to newborns and mothers in the period immediately before and after childbirth, and requires strict sterility conditions due to the high immunological vulnerability of its patients.
The conversion of that space into a parking lot poses a direct risk to the most vulnerable lives within the system.
The complaint arises amidst a severe health crisis in Camagüey. In April, the Manuel Ascunce Domenech Provincial Hospital received new complaints regarding flooded basements, trash, and rusted pipes near surgical areas.
During that same period, the cases of hepatitis A in Camagüey raised alarms with between 30 and 40 daily positives, while the authorities denied the existence of an outbreak.
In February, the Cuban regime admitted to the national health collapse when the Minister of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, acknowledged that the system was "on the brink of collapse."
That same month, hospitals in Cuba suspended surgeries due to the energy collapse, prioritizing hemodialysis and care for expectant mothers.
The surgical waiting list in Cuba increased from 86,141 patients in February 2024 to approximately 96,400 in 2026, while the hospital infrastructure continues to deteriorate without the regime offering structural solutions.
Filed under: