Images shared from the hospital in Baracoa by a Cuban reveal the unsanitary conditions at the main healthcare facility in the easternmost municipality of Guantánamo province.
The testimony of Amalia Justiniani, who shared images of the roof of the facility filled with mosquitoes and breeding grounds in the gardens, triggered a wave of complaints on the Facebook page "Revolico Baracoa"
Justiniani reported that his 10-month-old grandson has been hospitalized in the respiratory ward of the center for ten days without being able to be transferred to Guantánamo city for specialized tests that are not available in Baracoa.
"My grandson has been hospitalized there for 10 days in the respiratory unit, bed 10. He has recovered from his respiratory infection, but unfortunately, he is a 10-month-old baby who needs tests that can only be done in Guantánamo. He has been waiting for his transfer for days, and due to a lack of fuel, he has not been moved," wrote Justiniani, who described the situation as a "true mockery" and held the municipal government of Baracoa, Public Health, and the Communist Party of Cuba directly responsible.
Another user, Yinay Sardiñas, went further: "I have the video right there showing the mosquito breeding site visible in the image, rats coming out of it like Pedro at home. God have mercy."
A third comment, from Kirenia Furones, did not contradict the complaint but instead relativized it in a way that is equally revealing: "That hospital is a hotel compared to those in Holguín, be glad it’s a mosquito and not bedbugs," also suggesting the use of a mosquito net and repellent for the hospitalized baby.
The situation in Baracoa is neither new nor isolated. In September, hemodialysis patients transferred from Maisí reported inhumane conditions in a visitor's house in the municipality: without drinking water, without electricity, and sleeping on mattresses on the floor. At the end of August, a girl with a toothache could not be treated at the Hermanos Martínez Tamayo polyclinic due to a lack of cotton.
The epidemiological risk in Baracoa is particularly severe: a huge garbage dump next to the municipal boardwalk with the presence of mosquitoes, cockroaches, and rodents was reported at the end of September, amid a situation in which the province of Guantánamo recorded more than 30 confirmed cases of dengue via PCR.
The situation is the result of a systemic crisis. The Minister of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, acknowledged before the National Assembly that there is only a 30% coverage of the essential medicine list. The Pan American Health Organization reported damage to at least 385 health facilities in Cuba, and over 98,500 patients—including around 12,000 children—are awaiting postponed surgeries across the country.
Meanwhile, the 10-month-old baby remains in bed 10 of the respiratory ward at the Baracoa hospital, recovered from his infection but unable to make progress, trapped by the same fuel shortage that paralyzes the entire island.
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