"Family Urgently Demands Medical Care for Cancer Patient in Pinar del Río"

For the past two years, Magalys Roque has been battling cancer, and for the last month, she's been waiting for an operating room at the Abel Santamaría Hospital in Pinar del Río to undergo a cystoscopy. Her niece, Sulexi Romeu, publicly denounced the situation this Tuesday, calling for an immediate solution from Cuban health authorities.

Romeu reported that her aunt has been experiencing severe urinary bleeding with large blood clots that continuously block her urinary catheter for about two months. Despite medical recommendations for a procedure, the family stated that the hospital lacks the necessary operating conditions to perform it.

"For about two months, she's had urinary bleeding with large clots that constantly block her catheter," Romeu highlighted in her public appeal.

Such a month-long wait poses a significant clinical risk for an oncology patient with active bleeding and catheter obstruction. A cystoscopy is a crucial endoscopic procedure that examines the bladder and urethra, and any delay exacerbates the patient's condition.

A Call for Accountability

Romeu emphasized that her grievance is not against medical staff but those with institutional responsibility. "I do not blame healthcare professionals working under limited resources. My demand is directed at those with administrative and institutional duties to provide a solution," she asserted.

The complaint is directly aimed at the hospital's management, the Provincial Health Directorate, the Ministry of Public Health, and the government and Communist Party authorities of Cuba. "We're not asking for a favor. We're demanding urgent medical care," Romeu underscored.

The Broader Health Crisis

Given the inadequate conditions at Abel Santamaría, the family is requesting the immediate transfer of Magalys to another hospital capable of performing the necessary procedure. "If Abel Santamaría Hospital lacks the required facilities, I demand her urgent transfer to a hospital that can perform the procedure, based on medical assessment," Romeu stated.

This case is part of a historic healthcare crisis in Cuba. In August, President Miguel Díaz-Canel admitted that 98,500 patients were on surgical waiting lists, including approximately 12,000 children. Vice Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez Díaz had previously reported over 100,000 patients awaiting surgery.

The oncology situation is particularly dire. The government acknowledged that around 117,000 adults and 1,200 children with cancer were lacking adequate primary treatments, with 16,000 patients struggling to access radiotherapy and 12,400 needing chemotherapy. The survival rate for Cuban children with cancer had plummeted from 85% to 65%, a drastic 20-point drop.

Systemic Health Deterioration

The Cuban regime blames these shortages on sanctions and policies from the Trump Administration. However, the healthcare deterioration has been a cumulative crisis over decades, characterized by medication, equipment, and supply shortages, crumbling infrastructure, and a loss of personnel. While hospitals face growing needs, authorities have prioritized investments in other sectors like tourism, neglecting essential resources for healthcare services.

The Abel Santamaría Hospital, Pinar del Río's main healthcare center, has been operating under extreme conditions in recent years, facing power outages, and shortages of syringes, gauze, anesthetics, and reagents. Since June, it also assumed the pediatric surgical load from Pepe Portilla Hospital, whose operating room was under maintenance. Power outages and shortages in Pinar del Río had already forced the suspension of elective surgeries since February.

The Cuban government reported 70 daily cancer deaths in a recent update. Romeu warned that this complaint is just the beginning: "This complaint is the first step in a series of actions I will take until we receive a concrete response," and announced plans to reach out to human rights organizations and media inside and outside Cuba if authorities remain unresponsive. "Magalys Roque has a name, a family, a story, and a right to dignified medical care," she concluded.