Cuban Healthcare System Struggles Amid Escalating US Sanctions and Energy Crisis

A spike in mortality

The tightening restrictions have forced the Cuban government to effectively ration care.

In February, Havana announced a package of emergency energy-saving measures. Among them was the suspension of all non-essential medical services across the island.

However, non-essential does not equate to unimportant. Fernandez, the paediatric anaesthesiologist, emphasized that preventive healthcare plays a critical role in saving lives.

Under normal circumstances, he explained, preventive care enables physicians to identify potentially life-threatening conditions such as appendicitis at earlier stages.

In recent months, however, Fernandez has observed patients arriving at his facility in more severe conditions than would typically be expected.

“All the appendicitis cases we treat now present complications,” he stated. “These cases require additional resources and antibiotics—supplies that are in short supply.”

Death rates in Cuba have risen significantly as years of intensified restrictions continue to take their toll.

Last month, the Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) revealed that childhood cancer survival rates have declined from 85% to 65% due to the ongoing oil blockade.

Infant mortality has also risen steadily. At the beginning of Trump’s first term in 2017, Cuba reported an infant mortality rate of four per 1,000 live births. This figure increased to 7.7 in 2024, and reached 9.9 in 2025.

Maternal mortality rose to 44.1 deaths per 100,000 live births by the end of 2025, compared to 40.6 the previous year.

Lilian Delgado, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Cuba’s primary maternity hospital, attributed the worsening humanitarian situation to a marked increase in premature births and severe health complications among expectant mothers.

“Conditions are far from optimal at every level of the healthcare system,” Delgado observed. “Shortages are widespread.”

The emphasis on prioritizing emergency care can be misleading. Many essential medical procedures are classified as “elective.” However, just because they do not reach the threshold of an immediate emergency does not render them optional.

In Cuba, emergency surgeries are typically those requiring completion within 48 hours. Numerous other necessary procedures fall under the “elective” designation.

Mastectomies—a standard treatment for breast cancer—are frequently categorized as elective. Similarly, certain organ transplant surgeries are also considered non-urgent.

Healthcare advocates warn that delaying specific elective surgeries beyond acceptable timeframes can also lead to life-threatening conditions.

Over 100,000 Cubans currently await elective or reconstructive surgeries, with MINSAP citing the US sanctions as the primary cause of this backlog.

This group includes 5,152 cancer patients and approximately 12,000 children. Delgado noted that some of her patients have remained on these waiting lists for several months.

“Our surgical capabilities are severely compromised by supply shortages,” she explained. “We’re seeing more women suffering from serious complications, while our operating rooms are overwhelmed with emergency cases, making it impossible to conduct scheduled procedures.”

Cuban hospitals generally rely on backup generators to manage increasingly frequent power outages. Yet gaining access to even emergency medical services becomes challenging when fuel shortages impact basic operations like transportation.

“Ultimately, if you have a cancer patient who cannot undergo surgery due to various factors—such as nationwide blackouts leading to suspended procedures—then, intentionally or not, you are effectively condemning that patient to death,” Delgado said.

The oil embargo, she added, has resulted in loss of human life—both directly and indirectly.

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