The Saturnino Lora Torres Provincial Clinical Surgical Teaching Hospital, located in Santiago de Cuba, has opened a store offering hygiene products and essential items for patients, relatives, and staff of the healthcare center.
The institution itself announced the opening of "Garaje Lesli" on its Facebook page and explained that the establishment is located within the area of the Specialized Polyclinic.
According to the hospital, the new space will allow for the purchase of soaps, antiseptic gels, toilet paper, wet wipes, toothbrushes and toothpastes, mouth rinses, shampoo, conditioner, body creams, deodorants, diapers, and other essential items.
«We know that a hospital stay or a long work shift can be exhausting. That's why we have created this space with your comfort and well-being in mind», stated the institution, which presented the initiative as an alternative so that patients and employees do not have to leave the hospital to find those products.
The establishment will operate from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and accepts bank transfers via QR code, a feature that was particularly praised by several users on social media.
The photographs published by the hospital itself also show the prices of some of the merchandise.
On the hygiene product shelf, labels appear with prices of approximately 900, 1,200, 1,500, 2,500, 3,000, 3,400, and 3,800 CUP, among others, while some items reach 4,500 and 5,000 CUP.
Although the advertisement mainly promotes the sale of hygiene and personal care items, the photographs show that the store offers a wider range: there are also clothing, footwear, backpacks, sweets, and beverages.
On one of the shelves dedicated to sweets, you can see prices of 50 and 150 CUP, in addition to a label of 500 CUP next to other products.
Although the publication does not provide details about this establishment, it appears to be a rented space from a private actor in the province.
The predominant reaction among those who commented on the announcement was –notably– positive.
«Excellent initiative. Everything is at your fingertips. Success», wrote one person, while another highlighted: «Good service and the good thing is that they accept transfers».
Others believed that the idea should be expanded to other health centers. "Good idea, they should implement this in all hospitals for the comfort of patients, companions, and staff," expressed one user.
Another summarized: "Excellent idea, both for workers and for patients and their families."
There was also immediate interest in the prices. Some users specifically asked how much the deodorants and pens cost, while another noted that the initiative could be positive, but cautioned: "We need to see how the prices are."
Not all reactions were complimentary. A user drew attention to the condition of the premises itself and noted that the photographs show unfinished parts of the false ceiling, also questioning whether the authorities of Hygiene and Epidemiology had authorized the opening of the space.
Another comment harshly criticized both the appearance of the store and its prices: "What a lack of respect, greedy opportunists, it doesn't even have a store aesthetic, and don’t get me started on the prices."
There were also those who focused on the priorities of a healthcare center. One person believed that, beyond the sale of consumer goods, "medications and medical supplies are what should be sold", referring to the ongoing shortages affecting Cuban hospitals.
The opening of the establishment occurs precisely in a context of significant difficulties for even health workers in Santiago de Cuba to access basic products.
This Thursday, employees of the Conrado Benítez Oncological Hospital, very close to the healthcare center where the store was opened, reported that they had to pay 24 dollars for a small gas cylinder, despite receiving their salaries in Cuban pesos.
According to the testimonies from that case, some workers had to ask relatives living abroad for help in gathering foreign currency, while others could not take advantage of the offer because they lacked dollars.
Saturnino Lora himself has faced, throughout 2026, issues that are much more directly related to healthcare.
For example, in July, hemodialysis patients reported a crisis due to a shortage of the essential concentrate needed for treatment.
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