Cuban Health System Nears Collapse Amid US Fuel Blockade, Minister Warns
Cuba's health care system is teetering on the edge of collapse due to a US-imposed fuel blockade, according to the country's Health Minister, José Ángel Portal Miranda. In a stark interview with The Associated Press, Portal highlighted that the sanctions are no longer merely crippling the economy but are now directly threatening basic human safety and putting lives at risk across the island.
Critical Services Severely Impacted
The minister detailed how the blockade has exacerbated an already crisis-stricken medical system, where shortages of supplies, staff, and medicine have long been the norm. He warned that 5 million Cubans living with chronic illnesses will see their medications or treatments disrupted, including 16,000 cancer patients requiring radiotherapy and another 12,400 undergoing chemotherapy.
Key areas most affected include:
- Cardiovascular care and orthopedics
- Oncology treatments for critically ill patients
- Kidney disease therapies and emergency ambulance services
Ambulances are struggling to find fuel to respond to emergencies, while persistent power outages plague deteriorated hospitals. Flights bringing vital supplies have been suspended as Cuba's government says it is now unable to refuel airplanes at its airports.
Root Causes and Escalating Crisis
The energy crisis, which Cuba has grappled with for years, reached new extremes last month when US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba. This move came just weeks after Trump deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and announced an end to Venezuelan oil shipments to the island.
Cuba, which produces only 40% of its own fuel and largely depends on oil to power the island, has long relied on allies like Venezuela, Mexico, and Russia to fill its energy deficit. However, those shipments have now dried up, intensifying economic pressure that Trump has openly stated aims to push regime change in Cuba.
Daily Hardships and Humanitarian Warnings
The ripple effects of the fuel blockade are being felt harshly by Cuban citizens, whom the US government claims to defend. Buses have slashed routes, gasoline is under strict rationing and sold only in foreign currency, and endemic blackouts have reached unprecedented levels.
Aniliet Rodríguez, a 25-year-old pregnant woman admitted to a maternal care center for extreme anemia, described the drastic changes since January, noting shortages of bread, milk for nutrition, and essential medicines.
Experts and leaders from other countries have warned that Cuba could be on the verge of a humanitarian crisis, as the universal and free health care model—once providing local clinics on nearly every block and state-subsidized medicine—has entered a state of crisis, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Government Response and Future Outlook
In response, Cuban authorities have installed solar panels in clinics and prioritized care for children and the elderly. However, Portal acknowledged that restrictions have been placed on energy-reliant technologies like CT scans and laboratory tests, forcing doctors to rely on more basic methods and effectively cutting many patients off from high levels of care.
Medicine shortages have driven many to purchase drugs on the black market, and thousands of doctors, paid state wages that can hardly afford a carton of eggs, have emigrated, further deteriorating hospital conditions.
Portal emphasized that these problems are expected to worsen in the coming weeks, despite government efforts to adjust. He concluded by stating, "We are facing an energy siege with direct implications for the lives of Cubans, for the lives of Cuban families."
