Miguel Díaz-Canel published a video on X this Saturday showcasing his visit to the William Soler University Pediatric Hospital in Boyeros, Havana, and the response from Cubans was immediate and overwhelming: a flood of comments dismantled the official narrative and highlighted the gap between the façade presented to him and the reality of the Cuban healthcare system.
The leader described the center as "a reference institution in the country" and praised its staff with a phrase that encapsulates the propagandistic tone of the message: "Only a heroic people can achieve such things." The visit, which took place on October 29, was connected by the Government to the UN vote the day before, when the General Assembly approved — with 130 votes in favor, 17 against, and 25 abstentions — the annual resolution to lift the U.S. embargo on Cuba.
What Díaz-Canel did not mention is that just two days before his arrival at William Soler, neighbors reported the accumulation of garbage around the hospital. He also did not recall that in August 2026, photographs circulated on social media showing deteriorated bathrooms, toilets without lids, damp walls, and rusty sinks in that same facility.
Cubans did not overlook the contradiction. "Did they take you to the bathrooms? Did you see the ambulances? You're only going to see what is okay, the same dictatorial deception," wrote one user in the post. Another was more direct: "Go to Miguel Enrique, Hija de Galicias, and stop lying and covering up the reality of Cuban medicine." A third made the most uncomfortable comparison for the regime: "Now go to Cira García and Cimeq and see the differences."
The mention of Cira García Clinic and CIMEQ is not coincidental: both centers have historically been associated with the care of foreigners and the political elite, equipped with resources and conditions that are not available in hospitals serving the general population. The criticism targets the heart of the system: Díaz-Canel chooses showcase centers, prepped in advance, and presents them as a representation of the state of public health in Cuba.
This tour follows a documented pattern of hospital visits that repeats throughout 2026: the Manuel Fajardo Hospital in February, Frank País in May, González Coro in July, and the William Soler Pediatric Cardiocenter in September. In all cases, the public’s reaction was one of rejection and irony.
Díaz-Canel himself acknowledged during the visit that the staff is working under conditions of scarcity of fuel, transportation, medications, and electricity, an admission that contradicts the triumphalist tone of his publication. The context is one of deep crisis: the Minister of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, described the healthcare system as "on the verge of collapse" at the beginning of 2026; seven out of ten essential medications were unavailable in August; and more than 98,500 patients, including about 12,000 children, were waiting for surgeries.
A comment unwittingly summed up what many thought: "Thank goodness that one isn't too destroyed."
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