Cuba's Health System in Crisis: Broken Equipment and Stretched Staff

The healthcare system in Cuba is going through one of its toughest times in decades. Medical equipment is breaking down, there's a lack of supplies, frequent power outages, and many health professionals are leaving the country for better opportunities.

At the Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology (INOR) in Havana, a major specialized center, cancer patients are waiting for weeks for crucial treatment tests. Many CT scanners in Havana hospitals are not working, forcing patients from the capital and other provinces to rely on a few functioning machines.

📄 Who is affected?

Rosa Valentina Pérez, a 64-year-old breast cancer patient, is in pain while waiting for a CT scan to understand why she's losing mobility in her legs. The delay in getting this essential study is causing her great distress.

📄 Why is this happening?

For many years, Cuba promoted its free healthcare as a great achievement. However, a tough economic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, fuel shortages, and difficulties in obtaining new technology and spare parts have severely limited many medical services.

Even critical areas like oncology, cardiology, nephrology, and maternal-child care are struggling. Zholem Jorge Isaac, national director of Electromedicine, admitted that over half of the technology for cancer care is not functional. At INOR, about 1,200 patients are waiting for radiation therapy, and nearly 80% of the diagnostic and treatment equipment is outdated or malfunctioning.

📄 What are the consequences?

Doctors sometimes have to proceed with treatments without all the necessary tools to properly assess their effectiveness. This situation also affects children undergoing chemotherapy, as basic tests may not be performed as often as needed, hindering medical follow-up.

Technicians are working hard to keep old equipment running through makeshift repairs and reusing parts. Some specialists mention going to hospitals very early in the morning to fix essential machines and avoid interrupting patient treatments.

In cardiology, the lack of modern technology means doctors often rely on clinical evaluations and basic electrocardiograms. Heart surgeries have decreased, and patients needing procedures like pacemaker implants face long waits.

Hemodialysis services are also hit hard. In some hospitals, old equipment and staff shortages have led to shorter treatment sessions to manage available resources, a measure experts warn could impact patients' quality of life.

📄 What's next?

Adding to the resource shortage is the large number of doctors, nurses, and technicians leaving the health system due to low salaries and difficult working conditions. While healthcare workers continue to keep services running through their dedication and ingenuity, the system increasingly depends on their personal sacrifice.

The combination of deteriorating infrastructure, lack of supplies, and the loss of professionals puts Cuba's public health system in a very vulnerable position.