A Cuban woman known on social media as "La Profe Repa" posted a video on Facebook, expressing her frustration over her granddaughter's inability to receive vaccinations due to an unresolved electrical issue at the Cristóbal Labra clinic in La Lisa, Havana.
The grandmother explained that the clinic has been dealing with a "phase outage" for nearly two months, which the electric company has neglected, preventing her granddaughter from receiving two crucial vaccines scheduled for July and August.
"It's chaos, and my granddaughter is here, sleeping without getting her vaccines since July," she lamented in the video, holding the baby in her arms.
After being redirected by the clinic's doctor to the Aleyda Fernández clinic, also in La Lisa, she was informed that the nurse responsible for vaccinations at Cristóbal Labra was absent, as she had been the previous week. Returning to Cristóbal Labra yielded the same results: no one was vaccinating.
"I'm running back and forth between Aleyda Fernández and Cristóbal Labra through all of La Lisa, and still can't get my granddaughter vaccinated," she described, detailing her futile efforts between the two centers.
The phrase that resonated with thousands of users was straightforward: "If the clinic were privately owned, the phase outage would have been resolved, the motor issue fixed, and everything taken care of."
The woman also rejected the official narrative blaming the U.S. embargo for the problems: "This isn't because of the blockade. It's due to the poor management of the people running this country."
She specifically called out the clinic's director and the electric company for their inaction, ending with a question that echoed in the comments: "The director of the clinic knows what needs to be done. So, how much longer? How much longer?"
Broader Implications of the Vaccination Crisis
This incident isn't an isolated one. President Díaz-Canel admitted in August that between 64,000 and 67,000 infants under a year old were behind or out-of-date on their vaccination schedules, a situation he described as unprecedented in Cuba's healthcare history.
Days before the video's release, the United Nations warned that power outages in Cuba jeopardized the vaccination of around 70,000 children by compromising the vaccine cold chain, an issue international organizations have been documenting for months.
La Lisa has been one of the most severely affected municipalities in Havana by power cuts. Residents protested in front of the Communist Party headquarters after enduring more than 50 hours without electricity, and local circuits have experienced prolonged outages throughout the year.
In February 2026, Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda admitted the healthcare system was "on the brink of collapse," with over 70% of basic medications unavailable. "La Profe Repa's" video was released just a day before another complete collapse of Cuba's power grid left millions without electricity nationwide.
Understanding Cuba's Health System Challenges
What caused the delay in vaccinations at the Cristóbal Labra clinic?
The delay was due to a "phase outage" at the clinic that the electric company has not addressed for nearly two months, preventing the operation of essential equipment.
How many children in Cuba are affected by the vaccination delays?
President Díaz-Canel acknowledged that between 64,000 and 67,000 infants under one year old have delayed or outdated vaccination schedules.
What impact do the power outages have on vaccinations in Cuba?
Power outages compromise the vaccine cold chain, putting the vaccination of approximately 70,000 children at risk, as reported by the United Nations.