Don’t be fooled by what Democratic Socialists like Bernie Sanders and AOC tell you. This is what the highly-touted universal healthcare system in socialist Cuba really looks like for regular Cubans.
Via Martí Noticias (my translation):
Doctor denounces the chaos at a Cuban hopsital
The Celia Sanchez Manduley Surgical Hospital in the province of Granma and city of Manzanillo faces total deterioration both structural and in the services provided, Dr. Santiago Marquez Frias tells Radio Martí. The doctor just spent several weeks at the hospital accompanying a relative who is very ill.
Among the many problems observed, the lack of water, clogged plumbing in the bathrooms, leaks, and the lack of adequate sanitation stand out. “The hospital is in a very deteriorated state [,,,] it’s a disaster,” said the surgeon.
Patients who undergo surgeries regularly “get infections in their wounds” and must be released with open incisions, the doctor explained.
Patients at the hospital are exposed to scabies “because the situation with the beds is awful,” and they are not disinfected as they should be, he added.
The food is also critical, “there is only one diet for all patients, regardless of their illness.” The diet consists of “misnamed broth, which is watered down; rice and ground soy,” said Marquez Frias.
The lack of medicine and medical instruments has also taken a toll on the institution, causing all types of difficulties, the doctor added. “There is only one thermometer on the floor, and when it breaks it’s not replaced,” making it difficult to determine if a patient has a fever.
The Celia Sanchez Manduley Hospital was founded on January 11, 1981, by deceased dictator Fidel Castro. It is listed as a provincial hospital, although it is not located in the province’s capital. It is also a university teaching hospital that “has been the cradle for the formation and preparation of new doctors, nurses, and technicians,” according to EcuRed, the state-run encyclopedia.
