Shock in Camagüey: Young Woman Dies at 26 Due to Medication Shortage

In a heart-wrenching turn of events, a young woman from Camagüey passed away recently at the Manuel Ascunce Domenech Provincial Teaching Clinical-Surgical Hospital. Her family, overwhelmed with distress, was unable to procure a crucial medication in time to save her life.

A source close to the family revealed to CiberCuba that the young woman, hailing from the Puerto Príncipe neighborhood in Camagüey, died due to the unavailability of essential medications at the hospital. "They went out to buy the medicine through informal means, and by the time they found it, she had already passed," the source, who had a personal connection to the family, shared.

The deceased, identified as Ana Ivis Suárez Batista, was only 26 years old. She had been grappling with health issues for years due to diabetes, a condition that made her particularly susceptible to any health crisis.

Yamila Fernández, who once served as her doctor, expressed sorrow over the tragedy and highlighted the ongoing struggles the family faced. "How heartbreaking. I was her doctor some years back and witnessed the constant battle she and her mother faced against the complications of that terrible disease. My condolences to the family and friends," she wrote.

The urgently needed medication was norepinephrine (noradrenaline), a vasopressor drug used in critical situations to elevate blood pressure during severe acute hypotension or various types of shock, including septic and cardiogenic. This emergency medication is administered intravenously under strict medical supervision, typically in an intensive care unit or operating room.

Contrary to some social media reports claiming the young woman had been hospitalized for three days, the source clarified to CiberCuba that she was admitted "yesterday" and not three days prior as widely reported.

Independent journalist José Luis Tan Estrada shared screenshots of messages where family members desperately sought the medication, alerting that the young woman was in a grave condition and intubated. "Good morning, I am the mother of the owner of this profile... she is critically ill and needs norepinephrine urgently... please, my daughter is between life and death," read the shared text.

The tragic death of Ana Ivis has caused an uproar in Camagüey, reigniting criticism of Cuba's healthcare crisis, characterized by a dire shortage of medications, even in emergency situations where every second is vital.

While the Cuban healthcare system continues to be touted as one of the regime's "great achievements," stories like Ana Ivis's reveal a stark and increasingly common reality: desperate families, hospitals lacking basic resources, and deaths many deem preventable.