The statement, “It’s not Granma’s, it belongs to the Ministry of Public Health,” made by Yudelkis Ortiz Barceló, president of the Provincial Defense Council, underscores that the field hospital donated by India can be removed from the eastern region whenever the regime deems appropriate, despite the dire health situation faced by the population.
After Hurricane Melissa ravaged the area, leaving hospitals damaged, communities cut off, and homes destroyed, the temporary medical facility was established in Río Cauto, a municipality in the province of Granma.
The deployment of this facility addresses the urgent need for basic medical care and the lack of operational health infrastructure in the region, where outbreaks of diseases such as chikungunya have surged in recent weeks.
As reported by CMKX Radio Bayamo, the hospital is equipped with a patient triage area, diagnostic facilities, an observation room, a surgical unit, and a mobile laboratory.
Authorities claim the facility can treat up to three hundred patients within twenty-four to forty-eight hours. However, experts acknowledge its resources are limited, and it serves merely as a temporary fix to a much deeper crisis.
The Cuban regime has portrayed the installation as a gesture of “solidarity” and international cooperation. Yet, the reality is that the country increasingly relies on foreign aid to sustain essential services.
Following Melissa's impact, eastern hospitals remain under-resourced, with a shortage of medications, exhausted staff, and deteriorating sanitary conditions exacerbating the spread of mosquito-borne diseases like chikungunya. The Indian donation comes amid one of the worst health system crises in Cuba in decades.
While the field hospital may temporarily address some medical emergencies, its presence starkly reveals the regime's ongoing inability to ensure healthcare in the most affected regions of the country.
Impact of Foreign Aid on Cuba's Health System
Why was a field hospital set up in Río Cauto?
The field hospital was established in Río Cauto due to the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa, which left local hospitals impaired, communities isolated, and homes destroyed, creating an urgent need for medical care.
What are the main challenges facing Cuba's health system?
Cuba's health system is facing a severe crisis marked by a lack of resources, shortage of medications, exhausted healthcare personnel, and deteriorating sanitary conditions, all of which have been exacerbated by natural disasters like Hurricane Melissa.
How does the field hospital reflect on Cuba's dependency on foreign aid?
The field hospital, donated by India, highlights Cuba's increasing reliance on international assistance to maintain essential services, as the regime struggles to address its healthcare system's deficiencies.