Investigation into Cuban Healthcare Corruption Wins 2026 Roche Journalism Prize in Written Category

An investigative report by the independent Cuban organization Casa Palanca has clinched the 2026 Roche Health Journalism Prize in the Written Journalism category. This announcement was made by Roche Latin America in collaboration with the Gabo Foundation.

The award-winning piece, titled "Silent Privatization: Corruption Practices in the Cuban National Health System", was crafted by four Cuban journalists: Luzbely (Luz) Escobar, Mel Herrera, Laura Vargas, and Náyare Menoyo. It was selected from 319 entries in its category and a total of 699 submissions from 20 countries across Latin America, Spain, and Portugal.

The jury, comprising Argentine-Brazilian science journalist Roxana Tabakman and Spanish reporter Nuño Domínguez, lauded the report for its ability to turn "individual experiences into evidence of a systemic phenomenon."

Addressing a Pervasive Issue

"This is a socially significant investigation tackling a highly sensitive issue that is notably challenging to document due to the strong institutional opacity," stated the official release. "It explores a structural problem of immense public interest: corruption in access to healthcare. It stands as an extraordinary testament to the dire situation in the Caribbean nation and a remarkable journalistic endeavor that navigates the censorship on the Island."

"Silent Privatization..." dismantles the Cuban regime's narrative on the supposed free and universal public healthcare. Supported by a survey conducted by CubaData with 2,141 Cuban residents at the beginning of 2025, the report unveils that 74.3% of those seeking medical care in 2024 paid for services or medications that should have been free, and 78% turned to personal connections to receive assistance.

Insights from the Ground

The survey results are equally striking: 52.2% of respondents refrained from seeking medical care due to the inability to afford informal costs, while 82.4% believed that corruption in the healthcare sector was "widespread" or "very widespread."

The report includes personal accounts illustrating the gravity of the issue. Alexis Domínguez, a 45-year-old from Havana suffering from kidney stones, recounted how an official at the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital demanded $150 just to put him in touch with the surgeon. "Everything in that hospital moves with money. It's a mafia," he declared. Another documented incident describes the tragic death of an elderly man from a heart attack while his family scrambled to gather 5,000 Cuban pesos—approximately $13—that an ambulance worker demanded for emergency care.

Struggles Amidst Censorship

The investigation also reveals how patients are forced to purchase basic supplies like gloves, dressings, IV fluids, and syringes on the black market to undergo surgeries, and how medicines diverted from the public system are sold at marked-up prices. According to the cited data, over 50% of essential medications were unavailable in state pharmacies at the time of publication.

Casa Palanca operates under challenging conditions where non-state media are formally banned in Cuba, and independent journalists face arrests, surveillance, and restrictions. The collective was founded in 2021 by female journalists and activists both inside and outside the Island. Luz Escobar, one of the co-authors, left Cuba in October 2022 after years of harassment and currently resides in Madrid.

The award arrives as Cuba's healthcare crisis becomes acknowledged even by its own regime: in July 2025, Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda admitted before the National Assembly that Cuba faced an "unprecedented structural crisis" with only about 30% of essential medications available.