A Look at Conditions in Cuba’s Hospitals Amid Fuel Shortages

Cuba’s public health system is facing severe strain as fuel shortages and U.S. sanctions disrupt hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies across the island.

Doctors say the situation is disrupting care and contributing to preventable deaths.

According to The New York Times, surgeries are being canceled and patients sent home because staff cannot commute to work. Treatments such as chemotherapy and dialysis are interrupted by frequent power outages, while ambulances remain idle without gasoline. Pharmacies are largely empty, and medicine factories have halted production because they depend on diesel. Vaccine makers are struggling to secure ingredients, and refrigerated stocks risk spoiling during blackouts.

The situation has placed additional strain on medical staff, who are being forced to prioritize the most urgent cases as conditions worsen across the system.

The government recently acknowledged that nearly 100,000 patients are awaiting surgery, while fuel shortages have delayed vaccines for more than 30,000 children.

Food scarcity is also worsening health outcomes, with more underweight mothers and newborns reported. Delivery rooms are dirtier, fewer staff are available to assist births, and women often arrive late in labor because of transport problems.

In Havana’s poorer neighborhoods, pharmacies now lock their doors midday, with handwritten signs warning of strict limits on purchases.

Meanwhile, Cuban authorities say the recent Russian fuel delivery will be used for “critical facilities” such as hospitals, schools, and power generation.