Dr. Daniel Del Toro González, a physician at the pediatric hospital in Las Tunas, reported this Saturday that a man showed up at his home accompanied by his wife and a one or two-year-old child in her arms with the intent to assault him, days after he had treated their son for an earache.
In a post on his Facebook profile, the doctor noted that the child he examined was experiencing occasional crying and discomfort in the ear, without fever or alarming signs.
At that moment, he indicated that the child needed to be assessed by Otolaryngology, a specialty available at that very moment at the medical center. The family did not attend that appointment.
"Instead of going to that appointment, several days later they decided to show up at my home to try to assault me," Del Toro wrote, describing how the man stayed on the lower level of the building, inviting him to come down, while his wife and child were in front of him.
The doctor posted a photograph of the individual, as well as a brief video, taken from a barred window of his building, and asked his followers to help identify him.
"I still don't understand what led them to expose a minor to a situation like that," she remarked.
The post generated a wide reaction. Several users warned of a possible link between the assailant and State Security, arguing that an ordinary patient would hardly know the doctor's specific address.
"Honestly, they must be from Security. It's the easiest way to understand that they have your address," wrote one of the commenters, who claimed to have experienced a similar situation by providing medical leave for free.
Other users pointed out the tendency to hold medical professionals accountable when family members do not follow the instructions. A fellow doctor recounted in the comments the case of a child with classic dengue whose mother ignored the directives and arrived in critical condition, subsequently attempting to blame the service.
"In Cuba, you can no longer work as a doctor. They pay you a miserable salary and then you have to endure aggression from patients," wrote another user.
There were also those who warned about a possible "trap." "Don't underestimate that act, no matter how foolish it may seem. Going to your house smells like a setup," another commentator warned.
The complainant himself summarized the background of the issue: "Fulfilling our duty should not mean having to fear for our safety, let alone that someone shows up at our own home to intimidate or assault us."
Del Toro is a physician with an active presence on social media, known for his critical reflections on the Cuban healthcare system. Just days earlier, he had published a viral reflection on why he continues to practice medicine in Cuba "out of stubbornness," amidst a system that pushes doctors towards the private sector or emigration.
On June 12, intensivist doctor Leudis Alfonso Minguía was physically assaulted during his shift at Cárdenas Hospital in Matanzas by a man linked to law enforcement.
In June, a doctor reported reprisals after exposing irregularities at her polyclinic.
Cuba lost more than 30,000 doctors between 2021 and 2024, decreasing from 106,131 physicians to 75,364, according to data from the National Office of Statistics and Information, while a newly graduated doctor earns less than 16 dollars a month.
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