Heartfelt Plea from Daughter Highlights Lack of Access to Medicine in Cuba

A Cuban woman has taken to social media with a desperate cry for help to save her father, who is suffering from kidney issues and is trapped in a failing healthcare system where even basic antibiotics are unavailable. "In February, my dad was diagnosed with the E. coli bacteria in his kidneys, and that's where the nightmare began," the young woman wrote in an emotional public letter.

The man's condition has required multiple hospital admissions and intravenous treatments, all of which have been unsuccessful. He has now reached a critical point where he needs a specific medication only available in the United States, making it unattainable in Cuba. Through virtual tears and pleas, the daughter shared her heartbreak as she watches her father slowly deteriorate. "I can't count how many antibiotics have failed... my dad is wasting away and keeps telling me: 'Daughter, your dad is dying, please don't let me die,'" she expressed.

The Illusion of a "Medical Powerhouse"

This situation underscores the stark contrast between the government's propaganda and the harsh reality faced by millions of Cubans. Recently, Fidel Castro Smirnov, the dictator's grandson, claimed on CNN that Cuba remains a "medical powerhouse," praising the island's biotechnology and doctor training.

However, on the ground, Cuban families are left scrambling to find medications on the black market, dealing with hospitals lacking basic supplies, and mourning preventable losses. In Santiago de Cuba, a five-year-old boy tragically died after consuming expired medication purchased on the street due to empty pharmacy shelves. In Cienfuegos, 27-year-old Alexis Almeida died a month before his wedding when he couldn't get a vital valve for his hydrocephalus in time.

Meanwhile, the Ameijeiras Hospital celebrated Fidel Castro's "legacy of excellence" in public health with grandeur, while the lives of Cubans like this young woman's father hang by a thread due to the mere absence of an antibiotic.

The Human Toll of Healthcare Collapse

This daughter's letter joins a chorus of testimonies that reveal the painful reality of Cuba's healthcare collapse. Behind every shortage statistic, and the official admission that only 30% of essential medications are available, are families pleading for help, mothers blaming themselves, and young people burying loved ones far too soon.

"Help me save a man who has been an excellent father!" the Cuban woman implores. Her plea, shared hundreds of times, reflects not only her family's anguish but the broader suffering of a nation where survival is often dependent on connections, remittances, or sheer luck.

In the real Cuba, away from speeches and anniversaries, a father's life can flicker out simply because there are no medicines.