Cuba’s deputy health minister, Julio Guerra, has denounced the long-running US economic blockade and a recent fuel blockade, saying they are causing power outages and shortages that threaten patients’ lives.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the donation of medicines to the Hermanos Ameijeiras Clinical Surgical Hospital in Havana, Guerra warned that ‘every blackout and every restriction translates into a risk to the lives of our patients.’
He described the blockade as ‘genocidal,’ noting that it has deprived Cuba of essential resources needed to sustain its healthcare system. Guerra added that the donations would have a positive impact on hospitals, medical workers, and patients.
The Cuban health sector suffered economic losses of up to US$288 million between March 2024 and February 2025, according to telesurenglish.net. Cumulative losses from more than six decades of US sanctions have reached nearly US$4.2 billion.
Reynaldo Denis de Armas, deputy director of the hospital, said that while the embargo had undermined Cuba’s economy for more than six decades, the recently imposed fuel blockade had left the country ‘practically being strangled.’
The United States has tightened sanctions on Cuba since January 2026 under President Donald Trump’s administration, including a fuel blockade on the island. Cuban officials and United Nations agencies have criticized the US sanctions, citing their impact on the country’s public health system.
The donation is particularly important for the hospital, a national referral center that treats patients from across Cuba. More than 100,000 Cubans are waiting for surgeries due to supply shortages and the energy crisis, including over 5,000 cancer patients and 12,000 children.
BioCubaFarma, Cuba’s biotechnology industry group, has warned that it cannot guarantee supplies of 300 essential medicines because of difficulties accessing raw materials and other inputs.
The Cuban government said the worsening economic situation had affected health indicators, with child cancer survival rates declining and infant mortality rising to 9.9 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2025.
The ongoing US sanctions continue to pose a severe threat to the well-being of the Cuban people, as the island nation struggles to maintain its healthcare system under the weight of an unjust and inhumane blockade.