A state pharmacy in the city of Holguín sparked mockery and outrage on social media after promoting hygiene products and household items without mentioning any medications in its offers.
The photographs of the interior of Farmacia Peralta, located on Avenue of the Liberators, taken on October 23 as noted in the snapshots, show shelves filled with thermoses, plastic cups, straws, diapers, Barbie-type dolls, dinosaur toys, perfumes, sanitary towels, toothpaste, and stationery items.
The post on Facebook by the Provincial Company of Pharmacies and Optics of Holguín (Farmox) received dozens of comments questioning the establishment's offerings. "Is that a pharmacy or a hardware store?" asked one user, while another summed up the criticisms with a sharp phrase: "Everything but medicine."
The controversy arises amid a national crisis regarding the availability of medicines and new commercial formulas for pharmaceutical establishments.
Several internet users remembered that the establishment historically supplied medications to the Octavio de la Concepción y de la Pedraja Pediatric Hospital, very close by. "That pharmacy supplied the medications for the children at the pediatric hospital, crucial cases," lamented one user.
Another comment highlighted the difficulties families face in obtaining treatments. "There are parents with children in the pediatric unit asking for medications online, with a pharmacy just two blocks away that has no medications," wrote a user.
A former pharmacist who worked in the sector for years also expressed her sadness over the transformation of the establishment and recalled the conditions under which she performed her duties. She stated that the workers maintained their commitment despite material shortages and low wages.
The controversy included a complaint about the operation of the establishment. A citizen stated: "Today, Sunday, October 25, at 11:30 AM, I was at the entity, intending to buy some personal hygiene items, and my right was denied," despite Farmox's announcement of sales through payment gateways. "Watch out Farmox executives, for those posts announcing things that are not fulfilled," the user warned.
Other comments questioned the commercial conversion of state-run pharmacies and the lack of information regarding the management of these establishments. "They have turned pharmacies into bazaars, and the saddest part is that they take pride in it," wrote one individual.
The case of the Farmacia Peralta is not the only one of its kind in Holguín. In September, La Botica de Los Parques opened at the corner of Frexes Street and Miró, under a mixed scheme between Farmox and the mipyme Galas Fénix SURL, offering products that included cosmetics, adult diapers, natural juices, and fruit salad, also without medications.
These commercial transformations coincide with a severe pharmaceutical supply crisis in Cuba. In August, the government itself admitted that only 30% of the basic medicine list was available in the state network, a figure that reflects the difficulties the population faces in accessing essential treatments.
In parallel, by mid-September, health authorities in the eastern province of Holguín had received about 15 requests to open private pharmacies under the provisions of Decree 160/2026, but none had started operating at the time of the controversy.
In September, the head of the Drug Department of the Provincial General Health Directorate stated that there were no plans to lease establishments that would operate as state-run community pharmacies.
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