A Cuban mother has brought attention to a distressing situation where her daughter, suffering from a toothache, was unable to receive care at the Hermanos Martínez Tamayo clinic in Baracoa, Guantánamo. The reason for this neglect is both simple and shocking: there was no cotton available.
The mother shared a video on Facebook, which quickly went viral, garnering over 8.7 million views and more than 309,000 reactions.
"This is outrageous, my daughter can't be treated for her toothache here at the clinic because there's no cotton. Look, it's a complete lack of respect," she exclaimed while filming inside the health facility.
Widespread Frustration Over Healthcare Deficiencies
The incident sparked a flood of comments from Cubans who recounted similar experiences, where they had to bring their own supplies to receive medical attention.
"And if you bring the cotton, there are no needles, and if you bring the needles, there's no water," one user sarcastically noted.
Another individual shared that they had to gather "everything" themselves, including cotton, to have a tooth extracted.
From Santiago de Cuba, a woman painted an even grimmer picture: "Here in Santiago, there's nothing. At the moment, there's nothing in the hospitals; you have to bring everything."
Chronic Shortages in Cuban Dental Services
The lack of essential supplies in Cuban dental services is not a novel issue. Back in August 2024, two clinics in Santiago de Cuba reported a shortage of materials needed to address dental emergencies.
A year later, in Cárdenas, Matanzas, a Cuban resorted to extracting his own tooth at home with an improvised tool due to the challenges in obtaining dental care.
The Baracoa complaint surfaces amid a severe crisis in the Cuban healthcare system, characterized by shortages of medications, reagents, medical supplies, and other critical resources.
Authorities have acknowledged in recent years a minimal availability of basic medications. Furthermore, in May 2026, the United Nations warned that over 100,000 patients were awaiting postponed surgeries in Cuba, including more than 11,000 children.
Ongoing Issues with Child Healthcare
This isn't the only recent case of families highlighting deficiencies in healthcare for children. Just ten days prior, another Cuban mother reported that her seven-year-old son couldn't receive timely care because the clinic’s laboratory was non-operational due to a lack of reagents.
One comment on the viral video from Baracoa summed up the sentiment of many users: "You can't go to any health center anymore unless you bring everything yourself."
Cuban Healthcare Crisis: Key Questions Answered
What caused the shortage of supplies in Cuban clinics?
The shortage of supplies in Cuban clinics is primarily due to systemic issues within the country's socialist healthcare system, which has struggled with resource allocation and management.
How are Cuban citizens coping with the healthcare crisis?
Many Cubans are forced to bring their own medical supplies to clinics in order to receive treatment, and some even attempt self-care with improvised methods due to the lack of available resources.
Has the Cuban government acknowledged these healthcare issues?
Yes, Cuban authorities have recognized the scarcity of basic medications and resources, but systemic improvements remain elusive.