A photograph circulating on social media this Saturday has revealed the Perinatal Care Unit at the Ana Betancourt de Mora Provincial University Gyneco-Obstetric Hospital in Camagüey being used as a parking lot for electric motorcycles, hinting at an organized scheme within the hospital walls.
Journalist José Luis Tan Estrada shared the image on X with the hashtag #TanteandoCuba, capturing the gravity of the situation with the caption: "Just when you think you've seen it all. The Perinatal Care Unit at Camagüey's Maternity Hospital turned into a parking lot."
The photo shows at least three motorcycles parked within the clinical ward's corridor, including a blue bike and a black and red Bucatti, all stationed on the hospital's tiled floors and surrounded by the typical white-tiled walls of a medical area.
What intensifies the seriousness of this report is not just the chaos, but the suggestion that this space is being used for profit: someone inside the hospital might be making money by allowing vehicle parking in a highly sensitive clinical area.
"While newborns and vulnerable patients need a sterile and safe environment, motorcycles and vehicles are entering a closed ward, raising infection risks," warned Tan Estrada.
A Perinatal Care Unit caters to newborns and mothers right before and after childbirth and demands strict sterile conditions due to the high immunological vulnerability of its patients. Allowing motor vehicles in this space poses a direct threat to the most fragile lives in the healthcare system.
The affected hospital is the main maternal and gyneco-obstetric center in the province. Its Neonatology department was once praised as one of the country's best, ventilating over 160 children in a year with a survival rate of 95.6%.
This incident occurs against a backdrop of rapidly declining healthcare standards in Camagüey. In April, the Manuel Ascunce Domenech Provincial Hospital faced fresh complaints about flooded basements, trash, and rusty pipes near surgical areas.
That same month, hepatitis A cases in Camagüey raised alarms, with 30 to 40 daily positives reported by citizens, despite official denials of an outbreak.
In February, Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda admitted to the AP news agency that Cuba's healthcare system was "on the brink of collapse," citing fuel shortages for ambulances, hospital blackouts, and supply shortages.
Also in February, the Manuel Ascunce Domenech Hospital acknowledged a lack of norepinephrine—a first-line drug for septic shock—following the death of a 26-year-old woman.
The initial coverage of the unit turned parking lot documented the chaos, but the organized business theory adds a layer of deliberate corruption: it’s not merely collapse that explains the motorcycles in the perinatal ward, but a profit-driven exploitation of a space meant to safeguard lives.
Understanding the Challenges in Camagüey's Healthcare System
What was discovered inside the Camagüey Maternity Hospital?
A photograph exposed the Perinatal Care Unit being used as a parking area for electric motorcycles, suggesting an organized business within the hospital.
Why is the use of the Perinatal Care Unit for parking motorcycles concerning?
The unit requires strict sterile conditions for newborns and mothers, and introducing vehicles raises significant infection risks, endangering vulnerable lives.
How has the healthcare situation been described by authorities in Cuba?
Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda acknowledged that the healthcare system in Cuba is "on the brink of collapse" due to various shortages and infrastructural issues.