Cuba’s Healthcare Crisis Deepens: Severe Medicine Shortages and Suspended Surgeries Grip the Island
HAVANA — Cuba is currently grappling with one of the most severe healthcare crises in its recent history, marked by acute shortages of essential medicines and the suspension of surgical procedures across the island. Reports from Havana and other provinces indicate that hospitals are postponing elective surgeries and limiting outpatient care, as the country faces a critical lack of basic drugs, including painkillers, antibiotics, and antihypertensives.
The situation has deteriorated rapidly in recent weeks, exacerbated by an unprecedented fuel crisis that has disrupted distribution networks and hospital operations. According to sources within the country’s public health sector, over 70% of basic medicines included in the national health protocol are currently unavailable or in critically short supply. Pharmacies, which are state-run, frequently lack inventory for even the most common ailments, forcing citizens to seek alternatives in the informal market or rely on herbal remedies.
Medical professionals describe a grim reality within healthcare facilities. “There is no pethidine to relieve labor pain, nor analgesics in general,” one hospital worker reported under the condition of anonymity. The shortage extends to vital surgical supplies such as catheters, gauze, and intravenous fluids. Consequently, many hospitals have been forced to discharge patients early or turn away non-emergency cases to conserve dwindling resources for life-threatening emergencies.
The crisis is further compounded by a lack of diagnostic reagents, making it difficult for doctors to accurately diagnose viral outbreaks, including Dengue and Oropouche, which have seen rising case numbers. In some instances, patients requiring hemodialysis face reduced treatment schedules due to insufficient supplies of water treatment concentrates and disinfectants.
Cuban government officials have acknowledged the severity of the shortages, attributing the crisis largely to the longstanding U.S. economic embargo, which they argue restricts access to international markets and raw materials needed for domestic pharmaceutical production. Authorities also cite a lack of foreign currency and rising global prices for raw materials as significant hurdles.
However, critics and some residents point to internal economic mismanagement and the collapsing energy infrastructure as key factors driving the collapse of medical services. The lack of fuel has not only grounded ambulances but also prevented the delivery of the few medical supplies that arrive at ports to the provinces where they are needed most.
For the average Cuban, the shortage has transformed routine medical needs into desperate ordeals. With basic antibiotics and chronic disease medications largely absent from state pharmacies, patients are increasingly vulnerable. “We are operating with the bare minimum, sometimes with nothing at all,” a doctor in Havana stated, highlighting the immense pressure on medical staff who are struggling to provide care without the necessary tools.
As the government attempts to implement emergency measures to stabilize the energy grid and secure emergency medical shipments, the healthcare outlook remains precarious for millions on the island.
* cibercuba.com
* iwpr.net
* elpais.com
* paho.org
* havanatimes.org
* havanatimes.org
