First-year Medical students from Songo-La Maya, Palma Soriano, and other municipalities in Santiago de Cuba expressed their concerns this Tuesday regarding the decision to centralize their education at the No. 2 Faculty of Medical Sciences in the provincial capital, which would require them to relocate and stay in dormitories to continue their studies.
The testimonials, collected anonymously by journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada due to students' fear of possible reprisals, reveal that the measure directly impacts families living on the economic edge.
According to calculations by the students themselves, a week in Santiago de Cuba —including transportation, meals, and basic necessities— could exceed 5,000 Cuban pesos per person.
"We are poor, the transportation is terrible, the economy is dreadful, and don't even get me started on the food," expressed one of the young people in a message sent to the journalist.
The dilemma they present is brutal: "Do we study or eat? Do we pay for transportation or buy food? Do we continue with Medicine or give up because our families cannot support us?"
The economic burden is compounded by the conditions of the student residence, which the students themselves describe as deteriorated: closed bathrooms and classrooms without blinds since the passage of Hurricane Melissa, which impacted the eastern provinces of Cuba between October and November 2025 and damaged more than 2,100 educational institutions nationwide.
What has caused the most outrage among the students is the response they claim to have received from the dean identified as Yanet Victoria.
In conversation captures provided to Mayeta Labrada, the official reportedly stated: "These decisions are not unilateral; they are carefully analyzed with their pros and cons. Everyone has had their time to study. I was a student during very difficult times as well."
Young people reject that reasoning: the fact that previous generations have faced difficulties does not seem to them a sufficient justification for accepting conditions they deem unsustainable.
The measure also contrasts with what was announced just two days earlier by the Ministry of Higher Education, which on August 23 reported that the universities in Santiago de Cuba would begin the semester with hybrid and distance modalities to reduce travel, a policy that the local decision seems to directly contradict.
This complaint is not an isolated incident. Throughout 2026, medical students in Santiago de Cuba have been at the forefront of a series of protests: in March, they reported a lack of water and food shortages in dormitories; in May, the suspension of hospital practices for "Preparation for Defense" activities; in June, the protest extended to several provinces demanding the cancellation of final exams due to insufficient conditions; and in July, foreign students held a noise protest after more than 24 hours without electricity in the very faculty.
Despite everything, the young people insist that they do not want to leave the program: "We don't want to abandon Medicine," they repeat in their messages.
The authorities of the University of Medical Sciences of Santiago de Cuba have not issued any public statement regarding the measure or the conditions reported by their own students.
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