An 85-year-old patient with lung cancer cannot rest at night in the provincial hospital Manuel Ascunce Domenech in Camagüey, due to the presence of bedbugs in her bed, according to a complaint shared this Saturday on Facebook by independent journalist José Luis Tan Estrada.
The patient, identified as Faustina Pérez Castellanos, remains hospitalized in the Medicine ward, cubicle five, bed 30, with a diagnosis of malignant lung disease causing severe respiratory distress and requiring her to receive continuous oxygen.
The video accompanying the complaint shows a rolled-up mattress in apparent poor condition inside the hospital, with deteriorated tiled walls that highlight the neglect of the facility.
The case adds to a series of complaints documenting the health system collapse at the provincial hospital in Camagüey, where stagnant water, rusted pipes, exposed wires, the presence of rodents, and sewage water under patients' beds have been reported.
In August, the Amalia Simoni hospital, also in Camagüey, was criticized for the extreme neglect of elderly patients suffering from malnutrition and lack of hygiene.
Weeks later, a seriously ill elderly woman was moved in a regular chair pulled by two people due to the lack of a wheelchair at that same facility.
Public outrage on social media was immediate. "What kind of dignity do they defend when they can't even guarantee that?" wrote one person in the comments of the post.
Another reflected on the fate of the elderly: "That is the gift of the Revolution; the seniors who gave everything are the ones who have fared the worst in this disaster, while the power elite live well and enjoy their positions and privileges."
A third voice bitterly summarized what many Cubans feel upon seeing these images: "What public health has become. God protect us."
The bedbug infestation affecting Faustina is not an isolated case. It is a nationwide problem that has been spreading since at least 2023, when the first outbreaks were reported in Santiago de Cuba.
In June, a serious infestation was reported at the maternity hospital in Matanzas, which exposed pregnant women and newborns. In August, a nurse from the Saturnino Lora hospital in Santiago de Cuba resorted to fire in an attempt to eliminate bed bugs from a chair due to the lack of professional pest control.
And in September, the hospital in Las Tunas reported a new outbreak in its psychiatry ward, after having carried out intensive fumigation and a complete renewal of mattresses just two months prior.
The factors that make it nearly impossible to control the infestation are structural: a chronic shortage of insecticides, resistance of local strains to cypermethrin—the only available product—and power outages of up to 20 hours that prevent washing bed linens at temperatures that would destroy eggs and larvae.
The Ministry of Public Health has not issued any official documented response to the crisis.
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