In a poignant display of frustration, a nurse from Guantánamo has taken to Facebook, where her video has amassed nearly 138,000 views. She uses irony to highlight the dire situation of surviving on a monthly salary of just 4,000 Cuban pesos, drawing a comparison to the children's story character "La cucarachita Martina."
Ana Ivis Vázquez describes how she could only withdraw 40% of her salary from her magnetic card—a common issue for many Cubans facing a cash shortage in the banking system—and explains that this amount is insufficient to purchase even the most essential groceries.
"I spent an entire month working for 4,000 pesos," says Vázquez, a mother of two teenagers, with a mix of sarcasm and desperation.
She meticulously outlines the prices of food items in Guantánamo to expose the stark gap between her earnings and the cost of living.
"What can I possibly buy to live on, as a mother of two teenagers, when a five-pound package of chicken costs 4,500? When a pound of rice costs 380, a bottle of oil is 2,700, and a pound of sugar is 550 pesos? So, what will I buy?" she questions.
The situation worsens when considering her children's daily expenses: each loaf of bread costs between 140 and 180 pesos, and she has to give them 50 pesos daily for school snacks. This alone, multiplied over a month, far exceeds the 4,000 pesos she managed to withdraw.
"The math doesn't add up. I don't know how I'm going to stretch these 4,000 pesos until next month," she confesses.
"We make magic. With this, we make magic. I don't know if you're in the same situation, but... Give me options. What can I do with this salary?" Ana Ivis Vázquez concludes, capturing the frustration felt by countless healthcare workers in Cuba.
Vázquez's testimony highlights a crisis that the government has failed to solve with wage increases.
According to Resolution 17/2026 from the Ministry of Labor, effective since July and paid from August, the base salary for a basic nurse is set at 4,755 pesos and for a specialist at 7,045 pesos.
However, these nominal increases fall short when compared to the reality of the informal market, where the cost of a monthly basic food basket is estimated to be over 100,000 pesos per person, as calculated by Javier Pérez Capdevila, an expert in Economic Sciences.
At the informal exchange rate of around 828 pesos per dollar as of Friday, a basic nurse's maximum salary amounts to a mere 8.49 dollars per month.
The irony circulating on Cuban social media following the announcement of the wage hike bluntly encapsulates the public sentiment: with the new salary, workers "might be able to buy both the carton of eggs and the oil in the same month."
This erosion of purchasing power is mirrored by an exodus of personnel: Cuba's medical workforce shrank from 106,131 doctors in 2021 to 75,364 in 2024, a loss of over 30,000 professionals in just three years. In total, the Cuban healthcare system has seen a reduction of about 77,522 workers during this period, according to the National Office of Statistics.
Understanding the Financial Struggles of Cuban Healthcare Workers
What challenges do Cuban nurses face with their salaries?
Cuban nurses face significant financial challenges, as their salaries are insufficient to cover basic living expenses. With high prices for essential goods and limited cash availability, their income barely covers necessities.
How has the salary increase affected Cuban healthcare workers?
Despite nominal increases in salaries, the rise has not kept pace with inflation and the high cost of living. The increases are largely ineffective in the face of the informal market's pricing, leaving workers struggling financially.
What is the current exchange rate's impact on Cuban nurse salaries?
The informal exchange rate of around 828 pesos per dollar drastically diminishes the real value of nurse salaries, with basic nurse pay equating to less than 9 dollars a month, exacerbating the economic hardships faced by healthcare professionals.