Ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel visited the William Soler Pediatric Cardiocenter in Havana this Saturday, during a tour that the official account of the Presidency of Cuba shared with the message "a collective of excellence" and photographs of the leader surrounded by medical personnel in white coats and surgical uniforms.
According to the official publication, Díaz-Canel described the center as a national and international reference and acknowledged its team for "overcoming limitations" to provide specialized care for children with heart conditions. The regime characterized the visit as part of "a working system to help address difficulties and appreciate the everyday heroism of healthcare staff."
The reaction of the Cuban people was mostly skeptical. "These visits, aside from the propaganda, what do they actually resolve? In light of all the calamities facing the Cuban population," wrote a user in the comments of the official Facebook post. Another simply replied with two words: "Bread and Circus." A third pointed out directly what Díaz-Canel did not see: "And they didn’t go to the emergency room to see how they have to treat pediatric patients arriving dehydrated."
The contrast between the projected image and the documented reality of the hospital is hard to overlook. In August 2026, just a month before this visit, photographs of the William Soler circulated showing deteriorated bathrooms, toilets without lids, wet floors littered with garbage, and rusty sinks.
In October 2025, parents and family members were already reporting that the center was "completely overwhelmed", with overcrowded emergency rooms, staff shortages, and a lack of supplies.
In March 2026, international media reported that doctors at William Soler had to prioritize children with the greatest risk to their lives as resources were insufficient for everyone. The Cuban Ministry of Health acknowledged that more than 96,000 Cubans, including over 11,000 children, were awaiting surgery on a waiting list.
The situation reached a point where, in August 2026, a campaign in Spain raised over 12,000 euros to bring electricity to the hospital, highlighting the center's reliance on external support to operate.
During the visit, the director of the heart center, Dr. Eugenio Selman-Houssein Sosa, reported that the hospital has been classified as a "denied hospital" for the purchase of supplies and medical equipment manufactured in the United States, and that they are even asked whether the medications are for Cuban or foreign children, prohibiting the latter in the first case. "If anyone wants to know what the embargo is, let them come to the William Soler Pediatric Cardiac Center; we will demonstrate it here," he asserted.
This visit follows a repeated pattern throughout 2026: Díaz-Canel visits flagship hospitals —the Frank País, the González Coro, the Institute of Neurology— to project an image of successes in the healthcare system, while most hospitals in the country are facing shortages of medications, prolonged blackouts, and widespread deterioration. Each visit has generated the same accusations of propaganda and staging.
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