A Cuban citizen shared a distressing scenario on social media, revealing that patients in a hospital are forced to use pieces of cotton in their ears to prevent cockroaches from entering while they sleep.
The user, Jesús de Cuba (@jesusdecuba), posted a video on TikTok showing roaches freely crawling on the hospital furniture. "It's very sad to see the conditions patients are in, especially when it's your family," he said.
"They have to cover their ears with cotton at night because of the cockroaches," the whistleblower pointed out, admitting that he left the hospital feeling insulted. "It traumatized me; it's very intense," he emphasized.
Although the person who uploaded the video did not specify the city where the hospital is located, other posts have shown various places in Santiago de Cuba.
The video, which depicts cockroaches even crawling on the beds, might seem unreal, but it's not the first time such sanitary conditions have been reported in Cuban hospitals.
Recently, independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada reported on Facebook that roaches were seen crawling over furniture in the daylight at the Hospital Clínico Quirúrgico Juan Bruno Zayas. "The roaches are the ones in charge at the Clínico in Santiago," the journalist remarked, without specifying where in the hospital the footage was taken.
"This is a widespread issue in all governmental institutions. This is the medical power we are supposed to be thankful for," he added.
A similar situation was reported in a hospital in Ciego de Ávila, where videos showed cockroaches roaming freely in the bathrooms of the emergency room. "This is the medical power that the Cuban regime is selling to the world," one user wrote on the social network X after sharing the images.
Sanitation Issues in Cuban Hospitals
The following questions and answers provide more details on the sanitation issues faced by Cuban hospitals as reported by citizens and journalists.
How are patients dealing with cockroach infestations in Cuban hospitals?
Patients are resorting to using pieces of cotton in their ears to prevent cockroaches from entering while they sleep.
Which hospitals have been reported to have cockroach problems?
Reports have mentioned the Hospital Clínico Quirúrgico Juan Bruno Zayas in Santiago de Cuba and a hospital in Ciego de Ávila.
Who are some of the individuals reporting these issues?
Reports have come from social media users like Jesús de Cuba (@jesusdecuba) and independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada.