Cuban Mother Cleans Hospital Bathroom for Her Daughter's Comfort

A Cuban mother has gained widespread attention on social media after sharing her decision to personally clean the bathroom at the hospital where her daughter is admitted, due to the poor hygienic conditions of the facility.

The video, uploaded to Facebook by Suramy Cuba on July 18, has garnered over 418,000 views and prompted thousands of comments and reactions from Cubans who claim to have faced similar circumstances in hospitals across the nation.

"Many mothers tell me, 'You're crazy, you're going to clean the bathroom.' But it doesn't matter. At least I'll feel a little bit more comfortable during the days my daughter is hospitalized," the woman explains while scrubbing the toilet.

The footage shows Suramy using improvised materials: a nylon bag, detergent, a scouring pad, a floor cloth, and an old brush.

She even creates a homemade plunger with a stick and a cut plastic bottle, a technique she learned from another mother also staying in the ward.

The Cuban woman clarifies that the hospital does have cleaning staff, but she believes the conditions and resources are inadequate.

"They do a quick mop and that's it," she comments, though she avoids blaming the workers directly and acknowledges that low salaries are also a factor.

"I'm just doing my part, contributing to making everything cleaner for our children, the mothers who are here now, and those who will come," she states.

Upon finishing, she shows the results.

"It's not like a house bathroom, but at least it's a bit more welcoming, cleaner, and fresher-smelling."

Regarding cockroaches, she admits resignedly, "I can't do anything about those."

The post triggered a flood of testimonies from Cuban women recounting identical experiences in hospitals throughout the country: Hospital Juan Bruno Zayas in Santiago de Cuba, Calixto García, Celia Sánchez in Manzanillo, the pediatric hospital in Pinar del Río, Guevara in Las Tunas, and the maternity hospital Clodomira Acosta, among others.

One of the most shared comments highlighted the long-standing nature of the issue.

"This happened 28 years ago, and today you're experiencing the same thing my mom did... two generations of mothers," a user wrote.

Another summed up the sentiment of many Cubans with a phrase that garnered dozens of reactions: "Cubans have been normalizing everything for 67 years. Until when?"

The Recurrent Crisis

This case once again shines a light on the deteriorating state of hospital infrastructure in Cuba.

In recent months, complaints about lack of sanitation, water shortages, insect infestations, and the decay of numerous healthcare facilities have surged.

In June, relatives of patients reported bedbugs, cockroaches, clogged toilets, and water shortages at the Matanzas Maternity Hospital. Similar complaints emerged shortly after at another hospital in the country.

The health crisis has also been documented by international media. France 24 recently warned that the Cuban healthcare system is "on the brink of collapse," plagued by a lack of supplies, broken equipment, and an increasing overload on medical staff.

Meanwhile, Suramy's gesture has been interpreted by thousands of users as a reflection of a daily reality for many Cuban families: caring for a hospitalized loved one sometimes means taking on basic cleaning tasks to try to ensure minimal hygiene conditions.