New Ambulance Shipment to Cuba: A Small Patch for Widespread Healthcare Woes

The state-run company Transimport, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and port authorities, has begun the unloading of a new batch of ambulances that recently arrived in Cuba, as reported by the Cuban News Agency on April 30.

This shipment includes 100% electric Foton ambulances, requested by Havana's Integrated Medical Emergency System (SIUM). Meanwhile, the Advertising Agency Publicentro under the Ministry of Transport has started labeling the vehicles. The agency's leadership stated that their involvement "provides visual support to the process of revitalizing Cuba's medical emergency services."

However, the official announcement conveniently leaves out a critical detail: the exact number of ambulances in this shipment has not been disclosed.

This delivery adds to a series of partial acquisitions that the regime often touts as progress. In February, Cuba incorporated 25 electric Chinese ambulances for transport in Havana, and in January, the government announced the purchase of 50 ambulances to be distributed across various provinces.

The Stark Reality of Ambulance Shortages

Despite these announcements, the actual deficit figures make each delivery seem insignificant. The Ministry of Public Health admitted in 2023 that Cuba has only 39.6% of the ambulances required nationwide. For instance, the province of Matanzas received three Foton units in January, yet it operates only 16 out of the 54 ambulances it needs, less than one-third of its essential fleet.

Healthcare System on the Brink of Collapse

The lack of ambulances is just one symptom of a much deeper healthcare system collapse. In February, Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda described an "accelerated deterioration" of the system, exacerbated by power outages lasting up to 20 hours daily and fuel shortages. According to his statements before Parliament, Cuba's healthcare system is on the verge of collapse.

Over 96,000 surgeries have been postponed, and only 30% of essential medications are available in pharmacies and hospitals. The hospital infrastructure is rapidly deteriorating: the Calixto García Hospital experienced a partial roof collapse in November 2025, and the Juan Bruno Zayas Clinical-Surgical Hospital reported sewage under patients' beds in January 2026.

Rising Infant Mortality Rates

Infant mortality has more than doubled in less than a decade, rising from 3.9 per thousand in 2018 to approximately 8.2 per thousand in 2025. In Guantánamo, the figure reached 13.9 per thousand last May. Even Miguel Díaz-Canel admitted to an "undoubtedly critical" situation before the Communist Party's plenary session.

The international community can no longer overlook the scale of this disaster. The director-general of the WHO called the Cuban healthcare situation "deeply concerning" in March, and the UN activated a $94.1 million emergency humanitarian plan to aid nearly two million people across 63 Cuban municipalities.

Sixty-seven years of communist rule have dismantled what was once touted as the Island's pride in healthcare: between 2010 and 2022, the regime closed 63 hospitals, 187 maternity homes, and 45 dental clinics, according to official figures. Meanwhile, between 2021 and 2022, over 12,000 doctors and more than 7,400 nurses emigrated. In the face of such an abyss, an undisclosed number of new ambulances can hardly be deemed as "strengthening" the system.