A private pharmacy in Havana offers medications, vitamins, and natural products at prices reaching 3,000 pesos, while its workers claim that they also provide medications for free to the elderly and vulnerable individuals who cannot afford them.
The establishment was featured by the YouTuber Preval Official, who toured the shop, inquired about various products, and spoke with Mayra Morales, a sales assistant at the pharmacy, about the business operations and their expansion plans.
During the visit, the content creator specifically inquired about cephalexin for children, and a staff member confirmed that it was available for 2,000 CUP. The medication was marketed in powder form for preparing a suspension.
The images showcase other products with their prices displayed on their packaging. Among them are nistatin for 1,200 CUP, folic acid syrup for 1,800 CUP, diphendydramine for 1,800 CUP, bromhexine for 2,000 CUP, and Bronfarme syrup for 2,000 CUP. An antihistamine in oral solution was also available for 1,000 CUP, as well as a Jupin lotion of permethrin for 1,000 CUP.
The business also offers different types of tea and natural medicine products. According to what is shown in the video, the tea costs 100 CUP and the vitamins and supplements range from 2,000 to 3,000 CUP.
Morales explained that the establishment does not provide all its products for free, but it does undertake initiatives aimed at individuals it considers vulnerable.
"We have for the elderly, for vulnerable individuals, for nursing homes, and for maternal shelters, we provide medications," he stated.
He added that they also donate medications to vulnerable individuals who at a certain moment may not be able to afford them, although he made it clear that the usual operation of the establishment is commercial.
"No, it's not free," he responded when the YouTuber asked if all the products were delivered at no cost.
The pharmacy also sells natural medicine products aimed at issues related to blood circulation, osteoarthritis, arthritis, and prostate conditions.
During the video, filmed earlier this month, Morales also announced an expansion of the establishment and explained that on August 14, the premises were to be enlarged as part of a project that, in his words, was being "analyzed and approved" by the state.
The YouTuber stated that starting from that date, "the official part of the private pharmacy" would operate in the expanded area.
How do private pharmacies work in Cuba?
The emergence of these establishments comes after the Cuban government authorized pharmaceutical services for private micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises and non-agricultural cooperatives through .
The regulation came into effect on August 4 and transformed this activity, previously prohibited for the private sector, into an authorized or conditioned service.
This does not mean that any business can automatically open a pharmacy. Each establishment must obtain a prior authorization from the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), have qualified pharmaceutical personnel, meet appropriate conditions for storing products, and sell medications with valid health registration in Cuba.
The regulation, however, does not specify how the sale of prescription medications or those subject to special controls should be conducted.
Decree 160/2026 does not specifically mention antibiotics, narcotics, or psychotropic substances, nor does it state in its text when a medical prescription should be required.
It merely points out that the trade of "restricted health products" is an authorized or conditional activity that must be governed by the special rules applicable to each matter. Therefore, rather than establishing the rules for these drugs on its own, the decree leaves that aspect pending other specific provisions.
The matter is particularly striking in the case shown in the video: the YouTuber asked about child cefalexin, an antibiotic that the pharmacy sold for 2,000 CUP, and in the recording, there is no indication that he presented a medical prescription or that the clerk requested one before offering him the product.
The episode raises an important question about how dispensing controls will be applied in practice at these new private establishments, a procedure that Decree 160 does not address.
Additionally, in principle, no restrictions were established on who can make purchases in these establishments: they can sell to the general public within the authorized health framework.
Unlike the subsidized state network, private actors can set their own prices, which turns these pharmacies into an alternative for those who can afford them, but leaves out of reach a significant portion of retirees, chronic patients, and low-income families from medications that can cost thousands of pesos.
The Decree 160 also partially opened the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products to the private sector, another activity that was previously completely prohibited.
However, in this case, the scope for action is much more limited: it requires authorization from the MINSAP and the competent regulatory authority.
Furthermore, private manufacturing can only be developed through partnerships or linkages with the state biopharmaceutical industry, which allows the State to maintain strong control over that segment.
The reopening does not mean that Cuba has authorized private medicine. The same decree maintains that professional medical and dental care services remain reserved for the National Health System, while allowing pharmaceutical, optical, care, and rehabilitation activities with authorization.
The bodies responsible for regulating these activities were given a deadline of seven days from the publication of the decree to establish the procedures, requirements, licensing modalities, and supervision mechanisms necessary, before the norm comes into effect on August 4th.
The measure also arrived amid a serious shortage of medications in the state network.
The ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel himself acknowledged this month that only 30% of the essential medication supply is available in Cuba, which means that around seven out of ten essential drugs are missing.
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