A Cuban reported in a video posted on Facebook that he was unable to undergo medical tests at a hospital because one day there was no water and the next day there was no electricity, a situation that he summarizes with bitter irony highlighting the collapse of the healthcare system on the island.
"Man, this is just crazy. I already went to get some tests done at the hospital. Yesterday there was no water, today there’s water but no electricity. So, if I’m dying, the doctor told me it would be straight to the funeral home and that’s it, they would bury me in two or three hours, no problem, that’s just how it is. So, man, what are we living in here? What is this?" the man recounted in the 30-second clip, published alongside the hashtag #cubalibre.
The testimony is not an isolated case. The main hospital in Villa Clara was without water for more than 72 hours starting from June 19, due to the breakdown of pumps in the pumping system, which left the Arnaldo Milián Castro Provincial Hospital without service.
The energy crisis directly worsens the health situation. Cuban hospitals are operating under wartime conditions with blackouts lasting up to 20 hours a day, rendering clinical laboratories, X-ray machines, ultrasound, and tomography equipment useless, in addition to hindering water pumping.
The electricity generation deficit in Cuba nearly reached 2,000 MW during peak hours, with a peak of 2,153 MW recorded on May 13, 2026, leaving more than 60% of the country without electricity simultaneously.
The impact on patients is devastating. As of March 31, 2026, more than 96,000 people were awaiting surgery across Cuba, including 11,193 children. In April, the Provincial Hospital of Santiago de Cuba evacuated 12 patients from its intensive care unit due to a power outage, and in February, doctors in Havana performed surgery in complete darkness, using mobile phones for light.
Water scarcity is not limited to hospitals. Nationwide, 2.7 million Cubans lack regular access to drinking water, and the supply system operates with only 37% of the necessary fuel, according to data from May 2026.
More than 385 health facilities across the island reported damages or severe deficiencies, according to the Pan American Health Organization, marking the worst healthcare crisis in Cuba in decades, a direct result of 67 years of dictatorial management that has pushed the country’s infrastructure to the brink of collapse.
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