Cuba's healthcare services severely impacted by US energy blockade

Havana (ANTARA) - Every power outage in a Cuban hospital “is equivalent to a risk to the lives of our patients and profound exhaustion for our healthcare professionals.” Cuban Deputy Health Minister Julio Guerra Izquierdo made the statement on Monday during a ceremony for the handover of donated solar panels and medical supplies at the Juan Manuel Marquez Paediatric Teaching Hospital in Havana, the capital of Cuba. Cuba’s healthcare services have been severely impacted by a de facto energy blockade by the United States through restrictions on fuel supplies since the beginning of this year, according to the deputy health minister. “The lack of a stable energy supply directly affects the storage of medicines, the use of high-tech equipment, the performance of operations, and even basic care in emergency rooms,” said Guerra Izquierdo. He denounced the US blockade as an act of “genocide” against Cuban patients. “It severely limits our ability to access fuel, technology, and essential resources needed for the operation of our hospital institutions.” The government official further highlighted a surgical waiting list exceeding 100,000 patients, difficulties in ensuring supplies for maternal and child care, an increase in infant mortality, a decline in survival rates among children diagnosed with cancer, and shortages of medicines. “The donation we received today is of incalculable value,” said Guerra Izquierdo, adding that the aid means clean and stable energy for the Juan Manuel Marquez children’s hospital. The donation arrived on Sunday at the Port of Havana, sent by the sailing vessel Astral, operated by the Spanish non-governmental organisation Open Arms, as part of the international solidarity project Rumbo a Cuba, promoted by activists and politicians in Spain to channel humanitarian aid to the Caribbean island nation. Specifically, the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) benefited from the donation. “The solar panels we have received are a guarantee that when the power grid fails, and we know it will, our ventilators, infusion pumps, and monitors will continue to function,” said the head of the unit, Alicia Cedeno. She said she has witnessed doctors and nurses “perform real miracles” with the available supplies. The humanitarian aid received has also brought relief to Dayana Blanco, the mother of a baby hospitalised there. Recurring problems with electricity and medical supplies have marked their months-long stay at the hospital, she said. Despite the hardships and frustration, the medical staff have sought alternative medicines or different treatments for her son, pursuing every possible avenue, she said. “They never left him unprotected,” the woman stated.