The Dr. Juan Bruno Zayas Alfonso General Hospital, a key medical facility in Santiago de Cuba, sustained significant structural damage following the onslaught of Hurricane Melissa. The storm swept through the province with winds exceeding 118 mph during the early hours of Wednesday.
Photos shared by the hospital on their Facebook page reveal a grim scene: roofs torn off, doors ripped away, shattered windows, glass scattered across floors, and fallen trees littering the hospital grounds.
Corridors were submerged in water and debris, with strong winds causing extensive damage inside the facility.
"These are shocking and heartbreaking images. Melissa, like a harbinger of doom, has wreaked havoc on our hospital," stated the center in a public announcement.
Despite the disaster, the institution assured that calm was maintained overnight and that all admitted patients were successfully kept safe.
However, the message, concluding with a tone of "unity and victory," fails to mask the severity of the disaster and highlights the vulnerability of Cuba's health system, which is increasingly deteriorated and unprepared to handle such massive weather events.
A Predicted Collapse
This catastrophe contradicts government statements made just two days prior to the hurricane's impact. The Ministry of Public Health had asserted that Santiago's hospitals were "prepared" for Melissa, with generators checked, supplies ensured, and medical staff reinforced.
Reality has proven otherwise.
Years of neglect, lack of maintenance, leaks, and chronic shortages of building materials have left the region's hospitals as fragile structures, unable to withstand hurricane-force winds.
For the Juan Bruno Zayas hospital, its deteriorating metal roofs and windows easily gave way.
Even before Melissa, the healthcare system was facing an unprecedented crisis: shortages of essential medicines, lack of surgical supplies, frequent power outages, and the migration of hundreds of specialist doctors abroad.
Recent viral outbreaks, combined with hospital overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions, have pushed many health centers to the brink of collapse.
In this context, the hurricane not only destroyed physical infrastructure but also revealed the moral and material decay of a system the state insists on portraying as a model of efficiency and humanity, while workers face endless shifts and basic shortages in patient care.
Santiago de Cuba: A Province in Ruin
Beatriz Johnson, president of the Provincial Defense Council, acknowledged that the situation in Santiago is "very complex."
"We felt obliged to inform our country's population about the province's situation, which is very complex. It rains intensely throughout Santiago de Cuba. The winds are truly significant," she stated.
Melissa made landfall near Aserradero in the Guamá municipality at 3:05 am, then moved towards Palma Soriano, San Luis, and the city of Santiago, where the hospital took the hardest hit.
"In the coming hours, as the winds subside, we will have a clearer assessment of the situation," she added.
Flooded streets, ripped-off roofs, and fallen trees and power lines paint the general scene in the eastern capital.
In El Cobre, the local river swept away homes and public buildings; in Palma Soriano, the overflow of the Charco Mono dam left rural communities underwater.
The University of Oriente also suffered structural damage, with much of the public lighting and urban transport out of service.
With rainfall exceeding 250 millimeters in some areas, rescue teams have struggled to reach several peripheral neighborhoods, leaving thousands of families isolated.
A Reflection of the National Crisis
The devastation of the Dr. Juan Bruno Zayas Alfonso General Hospital stands as a symbol of the country's fragility in the face of natural disasters.
Lack of public investment, the collapse of basic services, and resource scarcity have left the population defenseless, without the means to protect themselves or recover.
While official rhetoric continues to speak of "unity, discipline, and victory," the images of the hospital with collapsed roofs and cracked walls tell a very different story: that of a healthcare system crumbling under the weight of time, neglect, and a government's failure to cover up the deterioration of its foundations.
With the hurricane moving away and official promises being repeated, Santiago de Cuba faces yet another day of devastation, struggling to restore basic services and hope.
But, as so often, rebuilding seems to rest more on the resilience of the people than on the effectiveness of institutions.
Understanding the Impact of Hurricane Melissa on Cuba's Health System
How did Hurricane Melissa affect Santiago de Cuba's hospitals?
Hurricane Melissa caused severe structural damage to the Dr. Juan Bruno Zayas Alfonso General Hospital, showcasing the vulnerabilities in Santiago de Cuba's healthcare infrastructure.
What were the government's prior claims about hospital preparedness?
The government had claimed that hospitals in Santiago were prepared for the hurricane, with checked generators, ensured supplies, and reinforced medical staff, which the aftermath of the storm contradicted.
What long-standing issues were highlighted by the hurricane?
The hurricane highlighted chronic issues such as neglect, lack of maintenance, and shortages of essential materials, which have weakened the healthcare infrastructure over time.