A thief broke in early this Monday through the shutter of a window at the Faustino Pérez Hospital in Matanzas and stole a rechargeable fan and a cell phone from a patient who was admitted to the center, according to a public complaint by Ernesto García, the victim's son-in-law.
The robbery occurred around five in the morning. García described the assailant as a small and thin individual who could not be identified or apprehended.
"I am making this post so that anyone who encounters their family member should be very careful, as one cannot even feel safe in a hospital," García wrote on Facebook, who added that the thief "got in through the window."
Along with the report, a photograph of the window through which the thief allegedly gained access was published. The image shows a metal grate with one of its bars bent or deformed, suggesting that it was forced to allow entry.
The patient's daughter, Katiuska Figueroa, who was by her mother's side as a companion, explained in the comments that she fell asleep but managed to see the thief exiting through the door without being able to intercept him.
"Thank you to everyone who has expressed concern for my health. Thanks to God, I am well," said the patient herself, identified as "Mosa" from her son-in-law's profile. "He has to pay for what he did," she stated about the thief. The woman revealed the additional pain caused by the loss of her phone: "The only thing that hurts me is that the cellphone was a keepsake, my mother’s, who has passed away."
Several Cubans reported having experienced similar thefts at the same hospital. "My cell phone was stolen the day I had surgery at that hospital. I was alone because my daughter went to get me a juice. The man entered; he was also thin," wrote one user. Another comment noted: "A few days earlier, my sister-in-law had her mobile phone stolen, along with another companion."
"We are living among bandits; it's terrible how we live. Not even in a hospital is there safety. This is every man for himself," lamented another Cuban.
The Faustino Pérez has faced a series of problems this year. In February, elective surgeries were suspended due to the energy crisis and a lack of fuel. At the end of October, part of the false ceiling in the Orthopedics room collapsed, and the management of the center accused those who shared images of the incident of "manipulation." This past Monday, the Provincial Health Directorate of Matanzas came forward to deny "rumors" regarding the hospital.
The case adds to a pattern of insecurity in Cuban hospitals that has intensified during 2026. In August, repeated thefts were reported in hospitals in Santiago de Cuba, including more than 11 stolen phones within less than two weeks at a single facility. In September, a ventilator and a cell phone were stolen from a sick child inside a hospital in that same province. In Las Tunas, a security guard was killed during a robbery in a hospital parking lot.
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