An 80-year-old woman named Ramona Gutiérrez Pita has been hospitalized for days at the Provincial Hospital in Ciego de Ávila, awaiting a hip surgery that cannot proceed because her family has been unable to secure the necessary blood donors that the Cuban healthcare system fails to provide.
Activist and writer Guillermo Rodríguez Sánchez shared on Facebook that Ramona suffered a fall in her rural community of Colorado in the Baraguá municipality, resulting in a fracture that has left her weak and incapacitated.
"She fell, suffered a hip fracture, and is weak while waiting for surgery. Without A+ blood donations, they can't take her to the operating room," Rodríguez Sánchez explained.
The patient requires three donations and is currently in the Angiology Ward, bed 16, at the provincial hospital in Ciego de Ávila. Those who can donate are urged to contact Ramona's daughter, Arazay, at the phone number 50745435.
Recurring Health System Failures
This situation is not isolated in the province. In March, another elderly woman in Ciego de Ávila also needed blood donors for a hip surgery, but her neighbors were unable to donate due to having contracted chikungunya.
This recurring pattern highlights the collapse of Cuba's healthcare system: families turning to social media because blood banks lack supplies and the state fails to provide basic necessities.
Voluntary blood donations in Cuba decreased by 29% nationwide between 2020 and 2023, dropping from 357,665 to 254,845 annually. Meanwhile, in April 2025, the Cuban regime officially acknowledged that BioCubaFarma would export plasma from Cuban donors to the international market through AICA Laboratories, having even signed an agreement with Brazil.
Cuban donors receive only a snack and a drink as compensation, while the state earns millions from selling blood products abroad.
Institutional Neglect and Contradictions
This contradiction — exporting plasma while patients like Ramona wait in hospital beds for someone to donate blood via Facebook — encapsulates the institutional neglect faced by Cuba's most vulnerable citizens.
The Provincial Hospital in Ciego de Ávila, where Ramona is admitted, has faced numerous complaints: in October 2025, cancer patients were sent home without chemotherapy due to a lack of supplies; in September of the same year, a recently operated patient was trapped in the hospital's elevator.
Hip fractures in individuals over 80 years old are emergencies requiring urgent surgical intervention to mitigate the risk of severe complications, including anemia, bronchopneumonia, and death.
Every day that Ramona remains in that bed without surgery is another day the Cuban regime owes her and her desperate family an answer.
"Let's help this woman and her desperate family by sharing their situation until they find donors," Rodríguez Sánchez urged in his post.
Understanding the Crisis in Cuban Healthcare
Why can't Ramona Gutiérrez Pita undergo surgery?
Ramona cannot undergo surgery because her family has not been able to find the necessary A+ blood donors, which the Cuban healthcare system is unable to provide.
What is the current state of blood donations in Cuba?
Voluntary blood donations in Cuba have dropped by 29% from 2020 to 2023, highlighting a significant shortage in the country's healthcare system.
What has the Cuban regime done regarding blood donations?
In April 2025, the Cuban regime admitted that BioCubaFarma would export plasma from Cuban donors internationally through AICA Laboratories, despite domestic shortages.