A 35-second video shared on Facebook by independent journalist José L. Tan Estrada this Sunday reveals the alarming condition of the bathrooms in the Surgery Ward of Camagüey Provincial Hospital.
The footage depicts filthy tiled floors, overflowing trash, and flooded, dirty bathrooms—an increasingly common sight in Cuban hospitals.
This facility is the Manuel Ascunce Domenech Clinical Surgical Teaching Hospital, the largest in the province, boasting 514 beds and 21 operating rooms. It serves as the main surgical care reference for the central region of Cuba.
The situation captured in the video is neither isolated nor new. The hospital has faced public complaints about its deteriorating state since at least 2023, with no verifiable responses from health authorities.
In August 2025, residents and patients reported extreme filth, stagnant urine, and broken toilets near the surgery ward of the same hospital.
Later, in November, collapsed ceilings in the operating rooms forced the cancellation of scheduled surgeries.
Early 2026 brought new images showing sewage water beneath the beds of hospitalized patients.
By April, stagnant water, trash, rusty pipes, moisture, and soot were reported in the basement near the minimally invasive operations room.
In June, the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights released photos showing leaks, water accumulation, rodents, and damage in the Ambulatory Surgery Room of the same facility.
The crisis extends beyond Manuel Ascunce Domenech, affecting several hospitals in Camagüey province.
In August of this year, the Amalia Simoni Hospital faced criticism for neglect, leaving patients covered in feces without proper hygiene or nutrition; one patient died shortly after their case became public.
That same month, rats were reported in the perinatology ward of another Camagüey hospital, and in May 2025, the Eduardo Agramonte Piña Pediatric Hospital faced complaints of cockroaches, stagnant urine, and foul odors within its premises.
The Cuban regime typically blames these conditions on the U.S. embargo, a claim Tan Estrada directly challenges in his video title. He argues that a hospital equipped with 21 operating theaters doesn’t need foreign sanctions to explain the cement spread in its surgery ward bathrooms or the accumulation of complaints unanswered for over three years.
Understanding the Hospital Crisis in Camagüey
What are the main issues faced by the Manuel Ascunce Domenech Hospital?
The hospital is plagued by filthy bathrooms, collapsed ceilings, stagnant sewage under beds, rusted pipes, and rodent infestations, among other issues.
How has the Cuban government responded to these hospital conditions?
Despite public complaints since at least 2023, there have been no verifiable responses or solutions provided by health authorities.
What reasons does the Cuban government give for the poor hospital conditions?
The Cuban government often blames the U.S. embargo for these conditions, a justification disputed by critics like José L. Tan Estrada.