Recent social media reports have once again highlighted the severe breakdown of funeral services in Cuba.
Vladimir Viera, a resident of Havana, shared the distressing experience regarding his friend José. José, who lived in the Camilo Cienfuegos neighborhood of East Havana, passed away, and his body remained untransported for over 12 hours due to a lack of vehicles and fuel.
"My friend José died around five in the morning, but it wasn't until eight at night that his body could be moved from the naval hospital. There's no vehicle, no fuel, nothing. The lesson here: in Cuba, you can't afford to get sick, let alone die," Viera wrote on Facebook, mourning the loss of his friend, whom he described as "a fisherman and friend above all else."
This incident is just one among many complaints about delays in the retrieval of bodies and the dire state of funeral services on the island, affecting both ordinary citizens and well-known figures in the arts and media.
Only a few weeks ago, the family of actress Miriam Learra, a prominent figure in Cuban theater and television, reported that her body had not been collected by funeral services in Havana for over 10 hours. Actor Antonio Arroyo brought attention to the situation, calling for empathy and assistance in the face of institutional inaction.
Similar incidents have been reported in other provinces. In Holguín, a delay of more than 15 hours in retrieving the body of an elderly woman sparked a neighborhood protest. The family placed her body on a bed at the doorstep and blocked the street in outrage. Videos shared on social media captured mourners stating that "there's no respect for the dead in Cuba."
Even state-affiliated journalists have acknowledged the severity of the issue. In February, Guillermo Carmona Rodríguez from the newspaper Girón reported that his grandmother's burial in Matanzas was nearly canceled due to fuel shortages and bureaucratic hurdles. "Dying is also a bureaucratic process," he noted in his article, detailing the hours-long wait for state approval to fuel the funeral vehicle.
This crisis, admitted by state media, stems from a variety of factors, including fuel shortages, inadequate operational vehicles, and a lack of basic maintenance and infrastructure at funeral homes and cemeteries. In many provinces, only a fraction of the vehicles designated for body transport are functional, and coffins are either scarce or defective.
In July, the state broadcaster Radio Mayabeque acknowledged that bidding farewell to a loved one in Cuba has "become an obstacle course," plagued by institutional disarray and resource shortages.
The result is a distressing cycle of delays and indignities, forcing families to keep bodies for hours, even days, in unsuitable conditions while waiting for transportation that never seems to arrive.
The Crisis of Funeral Services in Cuba
Why are funeral services in Cuba collapsing?
The collapse is due to multiple issues such as fuel shortages, insufficient operational vehicles, and a lack of maintenance and infrastructure at funeral homes and cemeteries.
How are families affected by the funeral service delays?
Families endure prolonged suffering, having to keep bodies in inadequate conditions for extended periods while waiting for transport, often leading to public protests and outrage.
What actions have been taken to address these issues?
Although the crisis has been acknowledged by state media, concrete actions to resolve the underlying issues remain unclear, with little progress reported.