The World Health Organization has warned that persistent blackouts in Cuba are crippling hospital services and endangering patients, as a U.S.-imposed fuel blockade continues to tighten its grip on the island’s fragile health system.

In a statement posted Wednesday on his official X account, WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed alarm over the impact of electricity shortages on Cuban medical care.

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“While I am encouraged by Cuba’s efforts to restore power to support services, people’s health, and the services that support them, cannot be left at the mercies of fluctuating power and geopolitics,” he wrote.

The WHO chief noted that Cuban hospitals are struggling to maintain emergency rooms and intensive care units due to the ongoing blackouts. According to Tedros, thousands of surgeries have been postponed over the past month, leaving vulnerable patients—including those undergoing cancer treatment and women preparing to give birth—at risk because of the lack of electricity to power medical equipment and preserve vaccine cold chains.

“Health should be protected at all costs and never be at the mercies of geopolitics, energy blockades and power outages,” Adhanom said.

According to official reports, the country’s economy has contracted by 15 percent over the past five years, compounding the strain on its public health system.

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