US sanctions endanger patient lives in Cuba: Health Minister

Havana: The long-running US 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.

“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 on Wednesday (local time).

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 US dollars between March 2024 and February 2025, while cumulative losses from more than six decades of US sanctions have reached nearly 4.2 billion dollars.

Guerra said the donation would have a positive impact on hospitals, medical workers and patients, reports Xinhua news agency.

Reynaldo Denis de Armas, deputy director of the hospital, said that while the embargo had undermined Cuba’s economy for more than six decades, the recently imposed fuel blockade had left the country “practically being strangled.”

The United States has tightened sanctions on Cuba since January 2026 under President Donald Trump’s administration, including a fuel blockade on the island.

Cuban officials and United Nations agencies have criticised the US sanctions, citing their impact on the country’s public health system.

The donation is particularly important for the hospital, a national referral centre that treats patients from across Cuba, de Armas said.

According to official figures, more than 100,000 Cubans are waiting for surgeries due to supply shortages and the energy crisis, including over 5,000 cancer patients and 12,000 children.

BioCubaFarma, Cuba’s biotechnology industry group, has warned that it cannot guarantee supplies of 300 essential medicines because of difficulties accessing raw materials and other inputs.

The Cuban government said the worsening economic situation had affected health indicators, with child cancer survival rates declining and infant mortality rising to 9.9 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2025.

IANS