At the Eliseo Noel Caamaño Pediatric Hospital in Matanzas, families of ill children are left waiting for over an hour without receiving necessary injections or antibiotics, despite already having prescriptions from doctors. This alarming situation was highlighted in a report by Julio César Contreras, featured in 14ymedio.
Witnesses at the hospital describe a stark lack of medical staff, with nearly empty hallways and a closed nursing station. The receptionist offered an explanation for the delay, noting that the sole nurse on duty has been working non-stop for 72 hours, emphasizing, "She is a human being and gets tired."
One mother recounted sending someone outside the hospital to purchase acetaminophen due to the facility’s lack of the medication. After waiting over an hour post-consultation, her four-year-old son still hadn't received the fever-reducing injection. "We couldn't resolve this because the nurse is nowhere to be found," she expressed.
Another parent, whose daughter was waiting for a prescribed antibiotic, voiced her frustration: "It's unbelievable that no nurse is available to administer an injection in this hospital."
Yet another mother searched the second floor for assistance, returning empty-handed: "I found no one to help us." Faced with the likelihood of enduring this scenario for a week-long treatment, she contemplated alternative solutions, such as hiring a known nurse to come to her home, even if it meant paying out-of-pocket.
The report conspicuously lacks any response from the hospital's management regarding these specific accounts.
Just two days prior to the report's release, Dr. Anaelis Santana Álvarez, the hospital’s director, denied any collapse, asserting that operations continued normally with less than 90% occupancy of its 178 beds.
Back in February, in response to an energy crisis and fuel shortages, Matanzas health officials implemented emergency measures to ensure a minimum level of care. This included restructuring nurse shifts to last between 72 hours and a full week.
By October 2025, the hospital was at full capacity due to concurrent outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, and oropouche, necessitating the addition of 100 beds at the University of Medical Sciences of Matanzas.
The nurse shortage is a nationwide issue. According to the National Office of Statistics and Information, from 2021 to 2024, Cuba lost approximately 77,522 health professionals, including doctors, nurses, technicians, and dentists.
Poor wages, challenging working conditions, and scarce resources for patient care have driven a mass exodus of professionals to other sectors or abroad.
Between 2021 and 2024, Cuba lost over 30,000 doctors, while the active nursing workforce decreased by 17.3%, leaving just 71,948 nurses.
In August, new government-approved salaries took effect. Per the Ministry of Labor and Social Security's Resolution 17/2026, specialist nurses earn 7,045 CUP, whereas basic nurses receive 4,755 CUP.
The disparity with actual living costs is staggering: independent economists estimate that meeting basic needs exceeds 100,000 CUP monthly, as per a July analysis.
Nursing Shortage and Healthcare in Cuba
What is causing the shortage of nurses in Cuba?
The shortage is primarily due to low salaries, poor working conditions, and a lack of resources, prompting many healthcare professionals to leave the profession or the country entirely.
How is the nurse shortage affecting hospitals in Cuba?
The shortage leads to long wait times for patients, inadequate care, and overworked staff, as evidenced by the situation at the Pediatric Hospital in Matanzas.
What measures have been taken to address this issue?
In response to the crisis, health officials have reorganized nurse shifts and the government implemented new salary structures, although these measures have yet to resolve the underlying problems.