Cuban Mother Demands Accountability After Son's Death from Alleged Medical Negligence in Granma

A grieving Cuban mother is speaking out, demanding accountability after the tragic loss of her son, Kevin, reportedly due to medical negligence at the "General Luis Milanés Tamayo" Provincial Pediatric Teaching Hospital in Granma. The mother, Dayanis León, shared her heartbreaking story on social media, calling for those responsible to face consequences.

"I need your help to spread this. I need justice for my baby. He was taken from me due to the lack of medical attention at the children's hospital in Bayamo. My baby was brought there over seven times, and each time they sent us home without a diagnosis," León wrote in the Facebook group “Revolico Compra-Venta Bayamo.”

León recounted that during their last visit to the hospital, her son was already in critical condition. "Despite my pleas for him to be treated in intensive care, they placed him in a regular ward. They suspected dengue but never performed an ultrasound to check for fluid," she added.

The mother highlighted that the lack of timely diagnosis and inadequate medical decisions worsened her son's condition. "He deteriorated further in the hospital, and the doctors did nothing," she stated.

"On Sunday, his condition worsened, and he was finally moved to intensive care, but he only survived for 45 minutes. If they had performed the ultrasound from the beginning, they would have known about the fluid and could have treated him in time," she lamented.

León also criticized the hospital's staffing, pointing out that general practitioners were present in the emergency department instead of pediatric specialists. "It's disrespectful that at this children's hospital, general medicine doctors are the ones in the emergency room, barely examining the children," she complained.

In another post, León described the situation as "desperate," claiming that "being there is like a death sentence." She vowed to seek justice for her son. "I will pursue this to the highest level. All those involved in his supposed care will pay," she concluded.

The family continues to seek support to ensure those responsible face consequences for what they consider a series of medical negligence incidents that took their young son's life.

The case has sparked outrage on social media, with many expressing solidarity with the mother and urging authorities to investigate the incident. As of now, there has been no official statement from Cuba's Ministry of Public Health or the hospital's administration.

This tragedy once again highlights the deficiencies in Cuba's healthcare system, where a lack of resources, specialized staff, and equipment exacerbates the challenges in handling medical emergencies.

In October 2024, a man in Las Tunas reported the death of his mother, who had been admitted to the hospital with a hip fracture and respiratory issues that were ignored by the medical staff.

That same month, a family in Havana reported a patient's death after being left unattended in a ward, despite being in critical condition.

Another incident occurred in Santiago de Cuba, where a woman with dengue-like symptoms was sent home without a clear diagnosis, later dying from complications that could have been prevented with early treatment.

In September, in Cienfuegos, two doctors were sanctioned following the death of a child who did not receive the necessary treatment, one of the few cases where authorities officially acknowledged negligence.