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The independent journalist José Luis Tan Estrada reported the death of more than 15 newborns at the Provincial Maternal Hospital of Camagüey between January and May 2026, attributed to administrative negligence and the deplorable hygiene and sanitary conditions of the neonatal room.
According to the report released on Friday by the independent media Alas Tensas, the neonatal unit of the hospital is severely contaminated due to leaks of sewage water from a bathroom located on the upper floor, known as Room F.
"In the neonatal unit, where babies are unfortunately dying, the bathroom on the upper floor of room F has been leaking for months, and that wastewater... contaminated water, even bees inside the room have caused bacteria that cannot be treated, they don't have the medications to fight it, and the children are dying," Tan Estrada reported.
Sewage is falling directly onto the neonatal care area, creating an infectious hotspot with bacteria and insects that is lethal for newborns in a state of maximum vulnerability, and the hospital lacks medication to combat the resulting infections.
What exacerbates the tragedy even further is the complete inaction of the authorities in response to the repeated complaints from parents and workers at the center.
"The most regrettable thing is that the parents and the workers have complained to the hospital management, and they do nothing. Furthermore, the authorities of the party and the government in Camagüey are aware of the situation and also do nothing. Meanwhile, the children are in serious condition; the children are dying," stated the journalist.
This tragedy is not an isolated incident. On April 29, Tan Estrada had already raised concerns about pregnant women waiting to give birth in the hallways of the same hospital, in conditions of overcrowding, extreme heat, and without proper hygiene.
In September 2025, a mother lost her baby at the Maternal Hospital of Camagüey after being admitted with low amniotic fluid and receiving a late cesarean section. A month earlier, in August 2025, another family reported the death of their newborn daughter due to a late diagnosis of severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome.
The history of negligence at this center extends at least back to 2022, when pregnant women at the Clodomira Acosta Maternal Home slept on the floor during power outages, and in 2023 there were reports of water shortages, inadequate food supply, and lack of medication.
Tan Estrada, a former university professor expelled from the University of Camagüey in November 2022 and detained by State Security in April 2024, was pressured into exile in late 2024 and arrived in Mexico in May 2025 after crossing the Darién. From exile, he maintains contact with sources on the island and continues to report on the situation in Camagüey.
The crisis at the Camagüey maternal hospital reflects the collapse of the Cuban healthcare system on a national level: Cuba ended 2025 with a child mortality rate of 9.9 per 1,000 live births, compared to 7.1 in 2024, marking a 39% increase in just one year and a 148% rise since 2018, according to data from the Center for Research in Economics and Politics.
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