Rosalba Castillo, the mother of an eight-year-old boy from Pinar del Río suffering from severe epileptic encephalopathy, took to Facebook on Friday to express her outrage against the Cuban regime. She asserted that any progress made for her son has been achieved through public pressure, not from any genuine assistance by the State.
"My son's story is not meant for pity; it's to open people's eyes to how they let a child DIE," Castillo wrote, sharing a photograph of her son, Rosmiel Jesús Sánchez Castillo, lying in bed with a tracheostomy and diaper, in a state of severe incapacity.
Born on May 18, 2018, Rosmiel suffers from West syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, microcephaly, spastic quadriparesis, and global developmental delay. He requires medications such as levetiracetam, clonazepam, sodium valproate, and topiramate, in addition to essential supplies like cannulas and feeding tubes, which, according to his mother, are not provided by the Cuban healthcare system.
"My son doesn’t know what a cannula, aspiration tube, or feeding tube is. He doesn’t know what it feels like to be treated as a human being in this country," Castillo lamented.
Struggles for Basic Necessities
Castillo has spent years demanding solutions. In February 2025, she highlighted that Rosmiel was suffering from foot injuries because he no longer fit in his crib, and that the Pinar del Río government had not resolved their housing situation for six years.
Only after public pressure did the authorities allocate a house, but Castillo is clear: "The house wasn't given; it was demanded so we wouldn't live in a hospital."
In her most recent post, the mother reported that her son's medication still hasn't arrived in the country and that a solar kit installed at their home is non-operational because the supplier lacks batteries.
She emphasizes that the only genuine assistance has come from the solidarity project "Blessed to Bless," led by Daynelis Miranda, not from the State.
Questioning Government Transparency
Castillo also questioned the fate of donations and checks publicly displayed by the Minister of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda: "What do they do with the donations, the checks that José Ángel Portal Miranda shows off?" she asked.
Rosmiel's case illustrates a pattern in Cuba where families only receive State response after viral exposure on social media. In 2024, Rosmiel's levetiracetam was provided only after a public outcry.
The situation unfolds against a backdrop of an unprecedented pharmaceutical crisis. Portal Miranda himself admitted to the National Assembly that only 30% to 32% of essential medications were available in the country.
By April 2026, 461 out of 651 essential drugs were missing, with antiepileptics among the hardest hit. In July 2026, the state-run newspaper Granma reported that Medicuba S.A. denounced the retention of two containers with sodium valproate at the port of Cartagena, a critical antiepileptic needed by thousands of Cuban patients, including children.
"We unfortunately live in a country without resources, under a government that only cares about its own benefit, under a supposed medical power that is a lie," Castillo concluded, ending her post with a bold statement: "Murderers, down with communism, down with the PCC."
Understanding Cuba's Healthcare Crisis
What conditions does Rosmiel suffer from?
Rosmiel suffers from West syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, microcephaly, spastic quadriparesis, and global developmental delay.
How has public pressure affected Rosmiel's case?
Public pressure has been crucial in obtaining responses from the State, such as the allocation of medication and housing, which were only provided after public outcry.
What is the current state of medication availability in Cuba?
As of April 2026, Cuba was missing 461 out of 651 essential medications, with antiepileptics being among the most affected due to the ongoing pharmaceutical crisis.