A Cuban named Armando Marín, residing in Trinidad, Sancti Spíritus, is in a state of extreme vulnerability and without access to the medications he needs, according to a video posted on Facebook by the community page "El Trinitario de a Pie."
A member of the project went to the man's house in response to calls from neighbors who alerted about his precarious situation.
The material illustrates the poverty in which Armando lives, despite having a degree in Accounting and Finance, as evidenced by a diploma hanging on the wall.
"Upon leaving there, hearing his cries left our hearts heavy," recounted the author of the post, who called for civic solidarity: "Today Armando needs us all. If we can come together and contribute our little bit to help him, let's do it."
The post details the medications that the 61-year-old man needs to take but cannot obtain: Atenolol and Captopril, both for treating high blood pressure and protecting the heart; Clopidogrel, an antiplatelet agent that prevents thrombosis and strokes; Metformin, for type 2 diabetes; and Haloperidol, an antipsychotic used in disorders such as schizophrenia.
This pharmacological profile reveals that Armando suffers from at least hypertension, diabetes, and possibly a cardiovascular or neuropsychiatric condition, and that his life depends on medications that the Cuban health system does not guarantee.
His case is just one among thousands of Cubans in extreme vulnerability, brought to public attention through reports on social media, where citizen solidarity attempts to provide what the state is unable to ensure.
The province of Sancti Spíritus is experiencing a shortage of more than 300 essential medications, as acknowledged in June by Elier Melendres de Armas, director of the Wholesale Drug Business Unit of Droguería Sancti Spíritus.
The state company Biocubafarma acknowledged that it could not guarantee nearly 300 of the 395 medications committed to the healthcare system, attributing the situation to the U.S. embargo and a funding gap exceeding 250 million dollars for raw materials.
The situation of the elderly in Cuba is especially serious. A recent street survey asking them how they envisioned their old age and how they are living it today gathered shocking responses: hunger, abandonment, pensions that barely suffice and the certainty that the best thing their children can do is leave the country.
Filed under: