A video published this Thursday on Facebook by independent journalist José Luis Tan Estrada shows the condition of the Observation Room at the Provincial Hospital of Camagüey: walls with completely peeling blue paint, extensive black stains of moisture and mold, deteriorated ceilings, and crumbling electrical infrastructure, all while a patient receives intravenous fluids in that unsanitary environment.
«It is not a war zone, it is a patient care area,» wrote Tan Estrada when posting the images under his series of reports #TanteandoCuba.
The video accumulated over 9,100 views in just a few hours, with 243 reactions and 23 comments, reflecting the outrage it generated among Cubans both on the island and abroad.
The images reveal deteriorated outlets marked as C-1, ceiling tiles with cracks and stains, and wall corners with what appears to be mold accumulated over years without any intervention.
This complaint is not an isolated incident. The Camagüey hospital has accumulated a series of reports documenting its progressive deterioration: in November 2025, the collapse of ceilings in operating rooms forced the suspension of surgeries; in October of that same year, elderly individuals in the Geriatrics ward were found lacking hygiene and covered in feces.
In April 2026, the basement in front of the operating room was documented with stagnant water, garbage, rusty pipes, and soot. In June, the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights recorded floors with greenish water, hanging cables, and the presence of rodents at the same facility.
The crisis is not limited to infrastructure. In February 2026, the hospital acknowledged that it did not have norepinephrine — an essential drug for treating septic shock — when a 26-year-old patient passed away. In March, renal patients went nearly a week without hemodialysis due to a lack of basic supplies.
Tan Estrada, a journalist from Camagüey exiled in Mexico after being expelled by the Cuban regime, has been one of the leading critics of the healthcare system conditions in the province through his journalistic work.
The collapse of the hospital reflects a nationwide health crisis. The Pan American Health Organization documented damage to at least 385 health facilities in Cuba, with collapsed roofs and sewage water under patients' beds.
In March 2026, the national surgical waiting list reached 96,387 patients, including over 11,000 children. Hospitals operate with power outages of up to 20 hours a day, rendering essential medical equipment inoperable and forcing the suspension of procedures.
The Minister of Public Health himself, José Ángel Portal Miranda, admitted in February 2026 that the Cuban healthcare system was "on the verge of collapse," a statement that the images from the Camagüey hospital turn into a literal description.
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