A Cuban mother voiced her distress on Thursday, revealing that the Nueva Paz Polyclinic lacks the oxygen needed to treat her sick child, even though doctors prescribed aerosols three times daily. Elienay Suárez, mother of political prisoner Maikiel Armando Peña Suárez, sentenced for participating in the July 11, 2021 protests, highlighted the declining state of healthcare in her municipality, Nueva Paz, Mayabeque province.
Suárez took to Facebook, specifically the REVOLICO NUEVA PAZ (Uncensored) group, to share her ordeal. Her younger son, ill for several days, couldn't receive his prescribed treatment due to the absence of oxygen at the local clinic. “I just took him to the Nueva Paz Polyclinic, and there is no oxygen for the aerosol prescribed three times a day. No oxygen has arrived. So, are children and everyone who comes in need of oxygen supposed to die?” she wrote.
Previously, she had taken her son to the hospital, only to find a lack of even basic materials for an elementary analysis. She condemned the institutional neglect and the complete lack of resources: “The most valuable thing a human being has is life, and how little value is placed on the lives of Cubans. Cuba is advancing... advancing towards the certain death of an entire people.”
Ongoing Healthcare Crisis and Institutional Neglect
A week prior, Suárez had shared another distressing account from her personal profile. Her son was sent to the Güines hospital with vomiting, diarrhea, and fever, but there were no medical supplies, not even a thermometer. “Nobody told me this, I experienced it myself,” she wrote.
She also highlighted the deplorable state of the hospital conditions, with clogged bathrooms and hallways crowded with children suffering from bronchitis and suspected dengue. “The doctors unable to do anything,” she lamented.
Despite her criticism, Suárez acknowledged the dedication of healthcare workers: “Cuban doctors are truly heroes, working with nothing.” She concluded her testimony with a poignant statement that captures the daily struggles of many Cuban families: “If you go to the polyclinic without bringing your own medicine, you die.”
Public Health Challenges and Government Denial
Cuba is currently grappling with a complex epidemiological situation, with dengue and chikungunya outbreaks spreading while authorities downplay the severity. This scenario brings back memories of the 2021 COVID-19 pandemic when oxygen shortages forced the government to publicly admit a crisis it had been denying for weeks.
The specter of that time, marked by information suppression and improvisation, looms large as fears mount over a repeat of the same pattern of official silence and healthcare collapse. Though the current focus is on Matanzas province, where dengue and chikungunya outbreaks are reported, the spread of these diseases now reaches other parts of the country, with the government continuing to downplay the seriousness.
The urgent setup of a makeshift hospital for febrile children in Matanzas and the health minister's denial of deaths from these causes, alongside official epidemiological updates, starkly contrast with the reports from doctors and patients' families on social media.
This isn't the first time a Cuban mother has raised her voice against the healthcare system's collapse. Just days ago, another woman highlighted the complete lack of care in a Mayabeque hospital, where there were no doctors, no reagents, and no basic resources to treat her child.
Cuban Healthcare System: Questions and Answers
What are the main challenges facing the Cuban healthcare system?
The Cuban healthcare system is plagued by a lack of resources, medical supplies, and basic medications, which severely impacts patient care. Institutional neglect and government denial further exacerbate these challenges.
How are citizens responding to the healthcare crisis in Cuba?
Many citizens are voicing their frustrations on social media, sharing personal experiences of inadequate healthcare and calling for urgent improvements.
Why is there a lack of oxygen in Cuban hospitals?
The oxygen shortage in Cuban hospitals is mainly due to supply chain issues and poor resource management, exacerbated by the country's political and economic challenges.