The Pricy Dilemmas of Health Care in Today’s Cuba

By Lien Estrada

HAVANA TIMES – I went to visit a friend and find her still dealing with the same problem: she needs to have some cysts surgically removed, but the hospital isn’t doing operations. It’s a situation that began when we had to face COVID in 2020. Only operations that are urgent are being done legally. There are all kinds of other surgeries being done, but those aren’t “legal,” so you must pay for them, and they’re expensive. I don’t know what to tell my friend, we’ve spoken so much about the matter.

She tells me that the situation is unbearable – when will this bedlam end? I decide not to tell her about the other day, when I went to the house of a friend who’s a painter. He talked about the same situation. What they succeeded in doing in his case, after some scary moments.

He had gone to see a doctor about his hernia, and the response was the same – they’re not operating because they don’t have supplies. So, he asked if they could do it, with him supplying the materials needed. They told him yes and made a list for him of everything that was needed.

He then went to a place in Holguín’s San Fiel district, where they sell everything from the tiniest items to anything imaginable. However, everyone avoids going there, because the prices are staggering. It was there, though, that he found everything needed – from the surgical thread and needles, right up to the gloves, anesthesia and all the rest. The budget was approximately some twenty thousand Cuban pesos. [An average monthly salary in Cuba is approximately 4,500 pesos].

He took notes, then thought about who could help him meet the challenge. Eventually he recalled a friend who was living in the United States. Some years ago, he had given this friend some painting lessons, because the guy had a passion for art, especially painting. Anyway, he was the one my friend decided to ask for help.

Thank God, the friend in the United States responded positively, he said. And of course, he couldn’t leave out the gift for the doctor and the nurse. And that’s how it went. The operation was a success, and that was the end of his tragedy.  Now the only thing left for him to do is to take care of himself during the recovery process. That’s all. I was happy for him.

I, myself, have to pay 500 Cuban pesos for every tooth I want repaired, and to bear closely in mind when and where to go to the dentist. Otherwise, it would be the same situation we already know about: there’s no water, there’s no filling materials, there’s no electricity. Unfortunately, my other friend’s story is more complicated, and she’s not having an easy time resolving the problem. I’ll reserve further comments.

I limited my efforts to encouraging her. We can’t allow ourselves to be convinced that the current circumstances are completely defeating us. Feeding pessimism is a bad idea. As a sister from the Moron Episcopal community told us: “right now, getting depressed is a luxury.” In addition, I sincerely believe that this situation has to undergo a radical change. I don’t think we can hold out much longer in the current circumstances.

So, we come to the question that my friend and I sometimes ask each other: will we have time to do everything we dreamed of doing, after the changes that must inevitably be carried out? We answer ourselves by saying yes, with God’s help, we’ll have time. We say this to each other more or less sincerely – there are always some doubts – because we feel it’s like a duty to support each other. Beyond all discussion, it is our duty right now.

Read more from the diary of Lien Estrada here.