\u201cI feel like my life is in danger,\u201d Trist\u00e1, 34, a mother of a 13-year-old from Bataban\u00f3, a town 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Havana, told The Associated Press. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it has grown. We have no way of knowing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Cuba\u2019s once-vaunted system of free universal healthcare has deteriorated sharply<\/a>. The crisis, say analysts, has been compounded by fuel shortages<\/a> they attribute to tightened U.S. sanctions on the island\u2019s energy sector, worsening an economy that had already been struggling for years.<\/p>\n The Trump administration is pressuring Cuba\u2019s socialist government to implement major economic reforms and change its way of governance in return for a lifting of sanctions.<\/p>\n Hospitals across the island face shortages of supplies including syringes, gauze, vaccines and anesthetics. They also lack spare parts to repair equipment such as hemodialysis and CT scan machines, leaving patients like Trist\u00e1 without critical care. Food shortages<\/a> have also made it difficult for her to follow the diet prescribed by her doctors.<\/p>\n Medical specialists and technicians have left the country in large numbers<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Karolina Silva Matis, a 6-year-old oncology patient, is examined by Dr. Yolainy Romero Rodriguez at the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa)<\/p>\n Karolina Silva Matis, a 6-year-old oncology patient, is examined by Dr. Yolainy Romero Rodriguez at the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa)<\/p>\n Add AP News on Google <\/p>\n Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Children among the hardest hit<\/p>\n Cuba was already grappling with an economic crisis following the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a> and the tightening of U.S. sanctions. The situation worsened after U.S. authorities captured then-Venezuelan President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a> in early January, depriving Cuba of one of its staunchest allies. The White House then threatened countries that sold fuel to the island and stepped up pressure on foreign companies and individuals<\/a> to stop doing business with Havana.<\/p>\n The result was persistent power outages<\/a> lasting more than 20 hours, gasoline rationing and declines in industrial and food production, among other effects.<\/p>\n For Cuba, a country with health indicators comparable to those of developed nations \u2014 including low mortality, high life expectancy, broad vaccination coverage and widespread prenatal care \u2014 the situation \u201cis shocking,\u201d said Mario Cruz Pe\u00f1ate, the Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization<\/a> representative in the island.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Sign up for Morning Wire:<\/strong> Cruz Pe\u00f1ate said the fuel shortages have caused \u201cquite large\u201d disruptions to health services, affecting not only the service itself, but the entire process around the continuity of care.<\/p>\n He added that PAHO and the WHO themselves also faced difficulties in distributing humanitarian aid. The United Nations, on which they depend, launched a $94 million emergency plan in March to address the foreseeable humanitarian crisis resulting from the energy blockade.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Salet Fernandez, a 17-year-old oncology patient, looks at her phone as her mother Yarima Mesa sits by her bed at the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa)<\/p>\n Salet Fernandez, a 17-year-old oncology patient, looks at her phone as her mother Yarima Mesa sits by her bed at the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ramon Espinosa)<\/p>\n Add AP News on Google <\/p>\n Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.<\/p>\n Share<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n![\"Karolina](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783032250_622_.jpeg\")
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