U.S. sanctions endanger patient lives in Cuba: official
Cuban health officials report that U.S. trade sanctions and a fuel blockade are severely impacting the country's healthcare system. The lack of power and medical supplies is reportedly endangering the lives of thousands of patients, including those requiring surgery.
Why it matters
This highlights the humanitarian impact of international economic sanctions on public health infrastructure in developing nations.
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HAVANA | Xinhua | The long-running U.S. trade embargo against Cuba and a recent fuel blockade are causing power outages and shortages that threaten patients’ lives, Deputy Health Minister Julio Guerra said Wednesday.
“When the lack of a stable power supply directly affects the preservation of medications, every blackout and every restriction translates into a risk to the lives of our patients,” Guerra said in a message delivered at a ceremony marking the donation of medicines to the Hermanos Ameijeiras Clinical Surgical Hospital in Havana.
Guerra denounced the “genocidal blockade,” saying it had deprived Cuba of essential resources needed to sustain its healthcare system.
According to Cuban authorities, the public health sector suffered economic losses of up to 288 million U.S. dollars between March 2024 and February 2025, while cumulative losses from more than six decades of U.S. sanctions have reached nearly 4.2 billion dollars.
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