U.S. Sanctions Endanger Patient Lives In Cuba

X/ @MINSAPCuba

August 6, 2026 Hour: 8:06 am

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Every blackout and every restriction translates into a risk to the lives of patients.

On Wednesday, Deputy Health Minister Julio Guerra denounced that the long-running U.S. economic blockade against Cuba and a recent fuel blockade are causing power outages and shortages that threaten patients’ lives.

“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. He pointed out that donations would have a positive impact on hospitals, medical workers and patients.

The Cuban health sector suffered economic losses of up to US$288 million between March 2024 and February 2025, while cumulative losses from more than six decades of U.S. sanctions have reached nearly US$4.2 billion.

🌐🇨🇺"The US blockade of Cuba: Almost 70 years of unilateral sanctions with serious impacts on the economy and the lives of the population"..

The US economic, trade and financial blockade of Cuba, which has lasted for more than six decades, is a significant example of unilateral… pic.twitter.com/9fRWg42bT7
— 🌐geopolitics in the picture (@geogeolite) July 8, 2026

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 criticized the U.S. sanctions, citing their impact on the country’s public health system.

The donation is particularly important for the hospital, a national referral center that treats patients from across Cuba. 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.