‘To play God’: Cuba’s healthcare system collapses under US pressure

A spike in mortalityThe tightening restrictions have forced the Cuban government to effectively ration care.In February, Havana announced a package of emergency energy-saving measures. Among them was the suspension of all non-essential medical services across the island.But non-essential does not mean unimportant. Fernandez, the paediatric anaesthesiologist, explained that preventive healthcare plays a major role in saving lives.Under normal conditions, he said, preventive healthcare helps doctors catch potentially fatal conditions like appendicitis sooner.But in recent months, Fernandez has observed patients arriving at his hospital in a "worsened" condition than they might otherwise have had.“All the appendicitis cases we treat now present complications," he said. "They demand more resources and antibiotics – supplies we don’t have.”Deaths in Cuba have also escalated as years of increasing restrictions take effect.Just last month, the Cuban Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) reported that survival rates for childhood cancer dropped from 85 percent to 65 percent amid the oil blockade.Infant mortality has also steadily climbed. In 2017, at the start of Trump's first term, Cuba had ...