By: Yilena Héctor Rodríguez, Verónica Alemán Cruz, Aniela Dumas Rojas
In a context marked by the intensification of the United States’ economic, commercial, and financial blockade, this Friday’s Roundtable discussion highlighted the dual reality facing the Cuban healthcare system: on the one hand, international solidarity and the political will of sister governments; on the other, the objective effects of a policy of blockade that, according to official data, has resulted in losses of more than $4.183 billion in the sector.
The television program served to break down the impact of the U.S. restrictions, as well as the creative resistance strategies that the country has deployed to guarantee the constitutional right to health.
Dr. Julio Guerra Izquierdo, Deputy Minister of Health, detailed the complexity of the Cuban healthcare system—comprising more than 10,000 clinics, 451 polyclinics, and 149 hospitals—and emphasized that the State fully finances this network as a constitutional right, despite external pressure.
“The United States blockade against the healthcare sector is real and permanent,” he stated. He then quantified the impact: “During the years of the blockade, there was a cumulative loss of more than $4.183 billion in the healthcare sector alone. If we consider the final figure, up to 2025, it amounts to more than $288 million.”
To illustrate the impact on the daily lives of Cubans, the specialist offered three examples that summarize the magnitude of the embargo:
• 25 days of the blockade are equivalent to the funding required to cover the needs of Cuba’s essential medicines list for a year (more than $339 million).
• Nine days of blockade are equivalent to the funding required to import medical supplies (syringes, gauze, sutures, reagents) for one year (approximately US$129 million).
• 21 hours of blockade are equivalent to the cost of acquiring the insulin needed for diabetic patients for one year (approximately US$12 million).
“This means that the impact of the blockade on health is palpable and objective,” the doctor summarized. “The thing is, maybe one can say, ‘There’s no money for a screw.’ But when there’s no money to save a life, it’s difficult.”
The year 2026 added another layer of complexity: fuel shortages and disruptions to the national power grid. Faced with this scenario, the health system has had to reorganize its services to prioritize care for the most vulnerable.
“The lack of fuel and electricity directly impacts healthcare institutions. To address this, the system has established a set of priorities,” stated Dr. Julio Guerra.
Among these, he highlighted the guarantee of care at all levels, the maternal and child health program—considered of utmost importance to the country—epidemiological surveillance, and emergency care, especially for cancer patients and those undergoing renal replacement therapy with hemodialysis.
“No one has been denied the treatment we know is essential. Not having treatment also means risking their lives,” he emphasized.
As part of structural solutions, Cuba has implemented a strategy to change the energy matrix in healthcare institutions. To date, solar panels have been installed in 282 polyclinics, 78 nursing homes, 97 maternity homes, 74 senior citizen centers, and 15 hospitals—a project supported by the government, state-owned enterprises, and non-state management entities.
Dr. Julio Guerra took the opportunity to categorically deny false information circulating on social media, which claimed that 19 patients had died at the Hermanos Ameijeiras Hospital during a national power outage. The specialist, who was at the hospital during the incident, recounted what happened.
“It is true that on Saturday, during the national power outage, there was a technical problem with the generator, and the hospital was left without power. It lasted a few minutes. Power was restored as planned,” he clarified. “And as a curious fact, no patient died that day at Ameijeiras Hospital for any reason. We know that people often die in intensive care units in hospitals. However, no patient died that day.”
The director lamented the spread of this unscrupulous information: “These are unscrupulous people who don’t even appreciate the enormous sacrifice made by the professionals, both those who were attending to the patients and those who quickly went to resolve the generator problem. This can happen to us. But I believe that the important thing is to be prepared for that situation and, of course, to guarantee the lives of the patients, which is our reason for being.”
Calixto García Hospital: Sustaining Life Amidst Complexity
The director of the Calixto García Clinical Surgical Hospital, Iliovanys Betancourt Plaza, discussed on the Round Table program the challenges facing an institution with 130 years of history, where thousands of healthcare professionals have been trained and which today maintains all 21 operating rooms without closing a single service, despite the limitations imposed by the blockade.
She explained that the hospital’s complex structure requires backup power in each operating room, which increases costs and strains the organization of services. “This makes activities more complex,” she noted, referring to a scenario where medical care, especially for polytrauma patients, must adhere to the so-called “golden time,” crucial for saving lives.
However, she acknowledged that these conditions are affected by the blockade, which has forced staff to constantly reinvent themselves and develop more complex protocols in the face of a lack of resources and supplies.
Betancourt Plaza emphasized that the 24-hour emergency department is a strategic point within the hospital, where multiple spaces must be adapted to care for the injured, even in mass casualty incidents. In this context, the availability of medical technologies, such as ventilators of different types and brands, is not always consistent, which adds another layer of difficulty to clinical decision-making.
She also pointed out that surgical planning has had to be adjusted to the current conditions, sometimes resulting in up to three surgeries being scheduled in a single day. “We have to admit the patient and have specialists from various fields participate in the same surgery,” she explained, which demands a high level of coordination and technological resources that are not always available.
The director also addressed the impact on the training of new professionals. The irregular surgical schedules limit learning opportunities for undergraduate students and residents, who must develop skills in more complex scenarios. Added to this is the loss of international academic exchanges due to the blockade restrictions, which have prevented the continuation of ties with specialists from other countries.
On a human level, he emphasized that the difficulties are not limited to the institutional sphere. Healthcare professionals face the same shortages in their daily lives as the rest of the population, from electrical problems to the stress of not being able to perform procedures under ideal conditions. “There is a human cost for patients, but also for healthcare personnel,” he stated.
Despite this situation, the hospital maintains strategies for reorganizing services in the face of contingencies, relying not only on medical staff, but also on essential workers such as generator operators and service personnel, whose work he described as indispensable.
Pediatric Cardiology Center: When the Blockade Directly Impacts Life
For his part, Eugenio Selman Housein Sosa, director of the Pediatric Cardiology Center at the “William Soler” Hospital, emphasized that the blockade “affects the lives of Cubans in every dimension” and noted that more than 80% of the population was born under its effects. Regarding pediatric cardiology, he warned that these restrictions directly impact the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, which continue to be the leading cause of death worldwide.
According to the specialist, the inability to access technologies, medications, and devices—many of them with patents or components of U.S. origin—directly affects patients’ health. “Not having these resources harms the patient,” he stated, while also pointing out that the limitations extend to basic supplies such as catheters, as well as problems related to the electricity and water supply, essential for hospital hygiene.
Selman Housein Sosa warned that these conditions are intended to cause the collapse of the healthcare system, although he emphasized the resilience of Cuban medical personnel. In this regard, he affirmed that the people are daily witnesses to the effort and dedication of healthcare professionals in preserving life, even amidst shortages.
“Our people should have no doubt that the healthcare army will not fail them under any circumstances,” he stated. However, he acknowledged that some procedures may be delayed, either due to the severity of other patients’ conditions or the need to secure essential resources.
He also highlighted the impact of the blockade on international trade relations, which has generated fear among companies and suppliers, while at the same time expressing his appreciation for the solidarity shown by individuals and institutions around the world who, through donations, contribute to sustaining medical services in the country.
[ SOURCE: CUBA DEBATE ]
