Translating Cuba – Page 15 – English Translations of Cubans Writing From the Island

The Electric Union Generates Barely One-Third of the Energy Demanded by Cuba

This Thursday an absolute record was reached since records began, with a deficit of 2,158 megawatts, 70% of demand.

Cuatro Caminos could not open this Friday until almost 11 a.m. due to a lack of fuel to supply its generator, but it finally appeared. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, March 6, 2026 – Tonight, when peak electricity demand in Cuba arrives, estimated at 3,050 megawatts (MW), the country will only be generating 1,015, just over a third of what it needs. That amount, representing around a 68% deficit (2,075 MW), would be a record on paper, although it remains to be seen whether reality will surpass the forecast. Last night saw the greatest shortage since records began, when at 7:00 in the evening, during peak hours, demand was 3,055 MW and only 920 were produced, a deficit of 2,158, or 70%.

These figures easily surpass those that previously held the record, earlier this same week. On Monday a deficit of 64% was expected, surpassing the 63% of January 30, with the same percentage recorded this Wednesday when the system collapsed in western and central Cuba.

Last November, the Government announced that the Antonio Guiteras power plant would go offline, which was postponed shortly afterward for an “unpostponable” repair. At the time, Cubans trembled at the thought of what would become of them, already exhausted by very long blackouts, when the country’s largest thermoelectric plant, located in Matanzas, stopped providing service. In February came the first test, when the plant suffered two incidents that kept it out of the system for a total of 12 days, amid alarm over the U.S. oil blockade.

Last November, the Government announced the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras plant, which was postponed shortly afterward for an “unpostponable” repair.

But the biggest rehearsal came Wednesday, when a serious failure disconnected two-thirds of the Island from the National Electric System (SEN), from Camagüey to Pinar del Río, because there is less and less diesel left with which to restore the system. Specialists from the Electric Union acknowledged this on Thursday, saying this was the reason reconnection was proving more complicated than on other occasions. continue reading

The method, now more than familiar to engineers, consists of starting engines with fuel oil and creating energy islands that gradually begin feeding circuits of increasing size until everything is reintegrated into the SEN. Now, however, saying that resources are limited would be a serious understatement.

Although shortly after 5:00 in the morning yesterday the system was unified, the situation remained extremely precarious throughout the day. In Havana there were no school activities, affecting at least 300,000 students who had to remain at home. Problems were also reported with the water supply due to failures in pumping stations, and there were constant interruptions in the manufactured gas service that reaches hundreds of thousands of households in the capital.

In Matanzas, Cuba, No One Asks Anymore Why the Power Went Out

The collapse of the National Electric Power System adds to months of endless blackouts that have forced residents to reorganize their lives around darkness.

14ymedio, Matanzas, Julio César Contreras, March 5, 2026 – The blackout came again without warning, like a visitor who no longer even needs to knock on the door. This Wednesday, a new disconnection of the National Electric Power System (SEN) left much of the country without electricity and once again pushed Matanzas into the gloom in which it has learned to live for months. However, during the first hours, many residents did not even notice that it was a general collapse of the system. In this city accustomed to long blackouts, darkness has become part of the landscape.

On San Ignacio Street, in the Pueblo Nuevo neighborhood, several people remain sitting in the doorways of their homes as if time had stopped. A woman repeatedly checks her phone, waiting for the data signal that also disappeared with the electrical collapse to return. On the sidewalk a thin stream of dirty water runs out of a house and disappears into the drain. No one seems to be in a hurry. When electricity disappears for so many hours, daily life slows down until it is almost suspended.

“How long is this going to last!” shouts Adriana from the doorway of her house so the whole neighborhood can hear her. The single mother has gone two days without being able to give her youngest child a hot meal. “There isn’t even enough time to cook the rice. Between the times they cut it off and turn it back on, we don’t even get an hour with electricity,” she laments. The little food she had in the refrigerator ended up stored in a neighbor’s freezer to keep it from spoiling.

“There isn’t even enough time to cook the rice. Between the times they cut it off and turn it back on, we don’t even get an hour with electricity.”

In recent weeks, blackouts in Matanzas have exceeded 30 continuous hours. People go out to sleep in their doorways, on balconies, or in the entrances of their homes to take advantage of the cool early-morning air, an image many believed had been buried with the hardest years of the Special Period. But now it returns like a collective déjà vu. continue reading

On a nearby block, two neighbors talk while sitting in front of a peeling facade. The man, wearing yellow shorts and flip-flops, wipes the sweat from his face while trying to guess when the electricity will return. Next to him, a woman holds a warm can of soda. Neither speaks about the blackout as something extraordinary. In Matanzas, losing electricity no longer causes surprise, only resignation.

The same thing happens a few houses away, where an elderly man sits in the doorway of his home with a bag beside him. He looks toward the almost empty street while waiting for time to pass. Without television, without a fan, and without radio, the hours become longer. The only distraction is watching the few pedestrians who cross the sidewalk under the sun.

The collapse of the SEN also left much of the mobile connectivity out of service. Hilda, a retiree who lives near Plaza de la Vigía, suddenly lost the video call she was having with her grandson in Spain. “Etecsa raised its rates, but it hasn’t been able to buy new batteries for its towers,” the woman complains. Many times she has to walk almost a kilometer to the square to find a signal.

“But I’m already retired and I don’t qualify for any of those solar panels they say they’re handing out.”

“I’m a teacher by profession, with more than 30 years of experience,” she says. “But I’m already retired and I don’t qualify for any of those solar panels they say they’re handing out,” she explains, referring to the modules that are sold on installment plans to outstanding professionals in their sector. In her home she also does not know when electricity will return or how long it will last once it does.

The instability of voltage in recent weeks has further punished household appliances. “My daughter in Cárdenas had a freezer burn out,” Hilda explains. “In half an hour they turned the power off and on five times. No appliance can withstand that.”

For Ricardo, a machinist who has a small private workshop in Pueblo Nuevo, the national outage means another day without income. “I thought today I might be able to catch up on some of the delayed orders, because lately they turn the power on for a little while in the afternoon,” he explains. But with the total shutdown of the system he cannot do anything at all.

He also hasn’t slept well for days. “My wife and I can’t get any sleep. When the power comes on in the early morning we jump out of bed to cook, run the washing machine, or charge the phones.” Then morning arrives and the exhaustion follows them like a shadow.

“My wife and I can’t get any sleep. When the power comes on in the early morning we jump out of bed to cook, run the washing machine, or charge the phones.”

In Matanzas, that scene repeats itself in hundreds of homes: families who get up at two or three in the morning when they hear the hum of the refrigerator or the sudden start of a fan. In that brief interval of electricity, food is cooked, laundry is washed, phones are charged, and any pending household task is rushed.

Meanwhile, on San Ignacio Street the silence slowly settles in. Without phone coverage or clear news, neighbors inform themselves by asking from doorway to doorway. No one knows when the power will return.

After more than a day without electricity, some have even stopped waiting. Sitting on improvised chairs or on the edge of the sidewalk, they let time pass.

“You have to stay grounded,” says Ricardo, shrugging his shoulders. “Because if you start thinking too much about this, you go crazy.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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A Driver in Artemisa Is Detained for Carrying a Sign on His Tricycle Against “Catfish and Snitches”

The incident was reported by the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and the Press.

Felipe Rodríguez, 68, is described by his neighbors as a beloved man in San Antonio de los Baños. / Facebook / Iclep

14ymedio, Havana, March 5, 2026 / Transport driver Felipe Rodríguez, 68, was detained in the municipality of San Antonio de los Baños, in Artemisa, after placing a message on his passenger tricycle that authorities considered offensive. The phrase “I don’t carry catfish or snitches, only free men” led to his arrest.

The case was reported by the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and the Press (Iclep), which warned about the situation of the Artemisa resident, who is well known among neighbors in the town for his cheerful character and friendly treatment of passengers.

Images circulating online show the vehicle with the sign placed on the back of the seat. In Cuban popular slang, “clarias” (catfish) and “chivatos” (snitches) are derogatory terms used to refer to informants or people who collaborate with the authorities. According to several complaints, the message was interpreted by police as a provocation.

“Clarias” and “chivatos” are terms used derogatorily to refer to informants or people who collaborate with the regime. / Facebook / Odalys H Rizo

User Odalys H. Rizo was one of the first to report the incident. In a message posted on social media she said that Rodríguez is a highly appreciated person in San Antonio de los Baños. “He’s one of those people you meet and your day lights up because of his jokes and good humor,” she wrote, while denouncing his arrest over the message placed on the tricycle. continue reading

In the same post she claimed that the officer who detained him not only arrested him but also threatened him. According to her account, the officer told the driver: “It makes me want to shoot you right here.” Rizo also said the driver was beaten during the procedure.

Several posts also reiterated that Rodríguez is a familiar figure on the streets of San Antonio de los Baños and that his joking personality is part of who he is. Some internet users described him as “a great human being,” “an amazing person,” and “a man with a big heart.”

Iclep stated that the incident reflects the climate of intimidation faced by those who express criticism or mockery of the political surveillance mechanisms on the Island. According to the organization, the driver’s detention is an example of how a simple expression can trigger reprisals.

Independent organizations and citizens have publicly held the authorities of San Antonio de los Baños responsible for the driver’s physical safety and have demanded clear information about his situation.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Ecuadorian Soldiers Guard the Cuban Embassy in Quito

President Daniel Noboa jokes about the burning of documents at the diplomatic headquarters.

Ecuadorian soldiers outside the Cuban embassy in Quito / Radio Pichincha

14ymedio, Havana, March 5, 2026 – Following the recent decision by the Government of Ecuador to declare Cuban ambassador Basilio Antonio Gutiérrez García and all diplomatic staff persona non grata, protests and tensions have erupted that reflect the country’s internal polarization.

Shortly after the expulsion was announced, local media reported the presence of military personnel outside the Cuban diplomatic headquarters. That same afternoon, about 30 Ecuadorians gathered in front of the embassy, carrying banners and chanting slogans against U.S. foreign policies, according to EFE.

The demonstrators claimed that Noboa “responds to orders he receives” and denounced the recent military operation carried out by the United States Armed Forces on Ecuadorian territory, which they described as “terrible” for the country’s sovereignty, since last November the installation of foreign bases in Ecuador had been rejected by a majority vote of citizens. One participant concluded: “We have become a U.S. protectorate.”

Ecuadorian opposition lawmakers rejected President Noboa’s decision on Thursday. The president of the Ecuador–Cuba Interparliamentary Friendship Group, Liliana Durán, warned about the negative impact of this diplomatic rupture. According to Durán, the measure shows “the servility and alignment of the Government with Washington’s policy, sacrificing our sovereignty and the dignity of our foreign policy,” and she pointed out that the most serious aspect is that the measure comes precisely when the United States is intensifying pressure against Cuba. continue reading

The measure demonstrates the Government’s servility and alignment with Washington’s policy.

Legislator Nuria Butiña also rejected the decision and recalled that, just hours before the Government’s official announcement, a meeting had been held between the Interparliamentary Group and the Cuban ambassador and his team at the National Assembly. Meanwhile, legislator Mariana Yumbay stated that the measure “joins a geopolitical logic that for more than half a century has sought to isolate and pressure the Cuban people.”

A few hours after the executive branch announced the expulsion, President Daniel Noboa posted on his X profile one of the videos circulated by Ecuador’s right-leaning press, showing alleged Cuban embassy officials burning documents on a grill on the rooftop of the diplomatic headquarters. Noboa jokingly called it a “paper barbecue.”

In an interview with the local outlet Radio Canela, Noboa stated that “all diplomatic documents must remain untouchable by the State,” emphasizing the protection granted to the official documentation of foreign missions. He also continued joking about the burning of the documents: “I didn’t know that part of the Cuban diet consisted of cooking papers and presenting them as a typical dish.”

I didn’t know that part of the Cuban diet consisted of cooking papers and presenting them as a typical dish.

Pro-government assemblywoman Lucía Jaramillo also reacted on social media to the burning: “Who burns papers on the roof of an embassy? Only someone trying to destroy evidence,” said the legislator, adding that the images “confirm what has been denounced for years: indications of political espionage in Ecuador.” In her view, Cuba and Venezuela cover up activities linked to the movement of former president Rafael Correa.

Former president and ally of the Cuban regime Rafael Correa lashed out at Noboa, calling the expulsion “shameful” and adding that when he heard the news he thought it was “a joke.” On X he wrote: “Lackeys trying to earn favor. What a disgrace!” and accused the president of destroying Ecuador.

Meanwhile, in the United States, Republican members of Congress from South Florida celebrated the measure taken by the Ecuadorian government.

María Elvira Salazar posted on X that the action sends “a clear message to the entire region: enough with the Cuban dictatorship.” She also praised Noboa for confronting “a regime that oppresses its own people and exports repression, destabilization, and misery throughout the hemisphere.”

For his part, Mario Díaz-Balart described the decision as “forceful” and said it responds to Ecuador’s national security interests, while strengthening defense and security cooperation with the United States.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Panama Will Visit Its Citizens Detained in Cuba This Friday for Graffiti Against the Regime

Twenty individuals were initially implicated in the case, but half managed to leave the Island.

The ten Panamanians are accused of propaganda against the Government, a crime punishable by up to eight years in prison.

14ymedio / EFE, Panama City, March 5, 2026 – The Government of Panama reported this Thursday that it plans to carry out a consular visit on Friday to the ten Panamanians arrested in Cuba accused of propaganda against the Government of the Island, a crime punishable by up to eight years in prison.

“We have guaranteed consular assistance and have requested to see the Panamanians. This morning I spoke with Ambassador Edwin Pitty and he informed me that tomorrow he will see the Panamanians,” said Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha during the weekly press conference of Panama’s president, José Raúl Mulino.

Martínez-Acha emphasized that since learning of the arrest, Ambassador Pitty went to the Cuban authorities to request details of what had happened. They provided him with “the information that was known—that ten Panamanians had painted slogans against the Cuban regime,” although he clarified that the total number of nationals initially involved “was 20, (but) 10 were able to leave the country earlier.”

The graffiti was dated the day it was carried out, February 28, and contained phrases such as “Down with tyranny.”

The foreign minister also stated that the subsequent conversation he had with his Cuban counterpart took place “in very friendly terms,” and that he “gave guarantees that all the Panamanians are being treated well, that they will have access to all legal assistance continue reading

within the Republic of Cuba, and that if the country wishes they could have external advisers, as long as and when they approve it.”

Cuba’s Ministry of the Interior reported last Monday the arrest of the ten Panamanians accused of allegedly carrying out graffiti critical of the Government and the Island’s political system in Havana.

According to the accusation, the graffiti was dated the day it was made, February 28, and included phrases such as “Down with tyranny,” “Communism: enemy of the community,” and “We trust Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, and Mike Hammer,” referring respectively to the President of the United States, his Secretary of State, and his ambassador to the Island.

The Ministry of the Interior stated that those arrested were recruited in Panama, where they all reside, to “prepare signs with subversive content contrary to the constitutional order,” and that they were going to be paid between $1,000 and $1,500 each upon returning to their country.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Amid Accusations of Espionage and Million-Dollar Expenses, 172 Cuban Doctors Leave Honduras

Cuba’s ambassador to that country, Juan Loforte, says the Cuban Government did not receive money from the agreement.

Since Wednesday, members of the medical brigade have been leaving Honduras. / Facebook/César Mejía

14ymedio, Havana, March 5, 2026 – This Thursday the last group of 172 members of the medical brigade left Honduras, a program for which the country spent $10,259,617 over two years, including salaries and housing, transportation, and baggage expenses. The agreement promoted in 2024 by the Island’s ally, Xiomara Castro, allowed the arrival of electricians and nursing technicians for whom the Cuban Government received monthly payments of 1,600 dollars.

In response to statements by nationalist congresswoman and vice president of the National Congress Johana Bermúdez, who requested an investigation to determine whether spies were among the group, one of the doctors leaving from Guillermo Anderson International Airport in La Ceiba joked on Wednesday: “We are spies, but of diseases.”

A review of the agreement, carried out by Ángel Eduardo Midence, deputy minister of the Health Secretariat (Sesal), also revealed the arrival of economists and administrators who had nothing to do with medical practice. The official said last Sunday that it would be up to the State’s regulatory bodies to deepen the investigation and impose sanctions.

Cuba’s ambassador to Honduras, Juan Loforte, who saw off the brigade members on Wednesday and Thursday at Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport in the city of San Pedro Sula, rejected the accusations. The diplomat acknowledged the monthly salary payment of 42,346 lempiras but denied that the money was transferred to the Cuban Government. “They were paid directly to the doctors; they received their full salary here, in their accounts,” the diplomat said.

The Cuban Embassy in Honduras acknowledged that Cuban specialists had salaries of 42,346 lempiras. / Cuban Embassy in Honduras

“Our doctors were well paid and had honorable working conditions,” he insisted to the media covering the departure of the Cubans.

However, the entity responsible for regulating the hiring of medical missions on the Island is the Cuban Medical Services Marketing Company, a firm internationally accused of human trafficking. According to a complaint in 2023 by Cuban geriatrician Juan Andrés Echemendía—who was sent to Mexico as part of these brigades—the money paid for the doctors goes into the regime’s coffers. He said that they “do not receive a salary.” continue reading

“Our salary is in our country, in Cuba,” the specialist insisted, explaining that they “receive a stipend” for personal expenses.

Defending the medical brigades, Loforte stated that the doctors were assigned to 17 of Honduras’s 18 departments and to five ophthalmology centers built by the Government, where nearly 7,000 surgeries were performed on patients with eye problems, in addition to 500,000 consultations. “Figures that reflect the commitment and solidarity vocation of Cuban medicine,” he said.

Loforte insisted that the doctors arrived in the country because their services were needed, but “if they are no longer required, the Government has every right to dispense with their work.”

In an interview with The Associated Press, Communications Minister José Augusto Argueta clarified that the Government of Nasry Asfura decided not to renew the agreement because it failed to meet basic requirements for the group to be classified as a medical brigade.

According to Honduran regulations, Argueta explained, a medical brigade can only remain in the country for a period of 90 days, but the Cuban doctors had been working there since 2024. In addition, the doctors’ work was supposed to be free of charge and they had to be accredited before the Medical Association of Honduras, which did not occur.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The U.S. Bans the Use of Cuban State Banks To Export Fuel to the Private Sector on the Island

The suspension does not apply to transactions that use banks in third countries or “other payment systems.”

The fuel would mainly be imported to the Island in isotanks. / CC

14ymedio, Havana, March 5, 2026 – The United States Department of Commerce, through its Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), determined that the possibility of using the Support for the Cuban People (SCP) license exception is suspended for operations linked to exports or reexports to Cuba when they involve depositing foreign funds in a state-owned bank.

The measure affects how payments are collected and processed in sales of gas and petroleum products intended for the private sector on the Island and came into force yesterday, Wednesday, March 4.

In its official publication, BIS argues that there are “prolonged and documented problems” of diversion and commission charges associated with Cuban banking, and it emphasizes that several of these banks are on the Cuba Restricted List due to their links with military, intelligence, or security institutions.

The document specifies that the suspension does not apply to exports, reexports, or transfers that do not involve Cuban banks, for example transactions that use banks in third countries or “other payment systems” that do not involve depositing foreign funds in Cuban banks. continue reading

The document also includes a transitional clause: the suspension does not apply to exports or reexports that were already en route before March 4, 2026, to a port of export or reexport, provided that the operation was based on real orders and is completed no later than April 3, 2026.

Allowing deposits of funds in Cuban state banks can generate revenue or contribute to the functioning of the state apparatus, something that, according to BIS, is contrary to the objective of the SCP, designed to support “independent” economic activity in Cuba.

The BIS message sets clear limits on the financial mechanism so that payments are made through channels that do not pass through Cuban state banking.

U.S. regulations contemplate two possible avenues within the SCP license to authorize the export of gas and petroleum products to Cuba.

The first allows exports intended for the Cuban private sector for economic activities of the private sector itself, including those that respond to humanitarian needs. To apply this exception, the products must be directed to the private sector and used in independent economic activities. However, the license is not valid if the operation mainly generates revenue for the State or contributes to the functioning of the state apparatus, for example through projects related to public infrastructure.

The second avenue contemplates exports of these products sold directly to Cuban citizens for their personal use or that of their immediate family. Although the shipments do not have to be made directly to individuals, the final destination must be their personal consumption. This authorization is excluded if the products end up in the hands of officials of the Cuban Government, employees of the Ministries of Defense or Interior, or other entities linked to the State, including those listed on the Cuba Restricted List.

The document also reminds exporters that they are responsible for verifying that the operation complies with all the conditions of the SCP license; otherwise, they must request a specific individual license from U.S. authorities.

The BIS message sets clear limits on the financial mechanism so that payments are made through channels that do not pass through Cuban state banking. Eric Martin, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, emphasized that banking institutions in third countries (for example, Spain and Panama) remain authorized for these purposes.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Juan Pablo Guanipa: “My Struggle is to Restore Democracy” in Venezuela

The opposition leader considers the presence of the U.S. “fundamental until the country’s definitive democratic stabilization is achieved.”

Former congressman Juan Pablo Guanipa, during his interview with the EFE agency this Tuesday in Maracaibo (Venezuela) / EFE/Henry Chirinos

14ymedio (EFE), Caracas, Henry Chirinos, March 4, 2026 – Nearly two weeks after regaining his full freedom, former congressman Juan Pablo Guanipa told EFE that he is fighting for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela, which he believes is going through a transition process following the U.S. military attack of January 3 that should lead the country to elections.

From his hometown of Maracaibo, the capital of Zulia state (western Venezuela), Guanipa says he sees three “fundamental actors” in the new scenario: opposition unity, made up of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) and other parties that support a process of change, the leadership of María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia, and the United States.

“Today the United States has presented a project that is based on those three stages of recovery, stabilization, and transition that will end in an electoral process,” said the leader, who considers Washington’s presence “fundamental until the country’s definitive democratic stabilization is achieved.”

In his opinion, this process began in October 2023, when Machado was chosen as the opposition candidate for the July 2024 elections, in which González Urrutia ultimately ran after the future Nobel Peace Prize laureate was disqualified, and in which Nicolás Maduro was proclaimed the winner despite allegations of fraud.

“I always said that this is going to bring consequences,” added Guanipa, who sees the electoral fraud as the origin of “the January 3 events.”

“I always said that this is going to bring consequences,” Guanipa added, noting that those events were the origin of “the January 3 events.”

For this leader, Venezuela is ready for a political alternative after having gone through “many very unpleasant things over these 27 years.”

“The entire process of economic and social impoverishment that the country has experienced, this whole process of dismantling institutions, of destroying the rules, of eliminating the separation of powers, of eliminating the rule of law—all of this has to change,” he stated.

In that sense, he said he notices the people are “hopeful” as they feel they are moving “toward a path of freedom,” but also “desperate.”

“It seems as if we would like everything to happen at once, that two months feels like too long and that we already want the change to materialize,” Guanipa warned, inviting people “to wait a little.” continue reading

It is “fair, necessary, and appropriate, not only the return of María Corina but also of everyone who is in exile.”

Referring to the opposition, he drew a distinction between those who “truly agree and are willing to work to achieve a definitive political change in Venezuela,” and those who believe that acting president Delcy Rodríguez should remain in power, since they assume she “brings more stability to the country.”

“We do not believe it is necessary to unite with them, because the objective of each side is completely different. And I believe that if we interpret the aspirations of the Venezuelan people at this moment, the vast majority want political change and also recognize María Corina as the leader of that democratic alternative,” he said.

Regarding the possibility of Machado’s return to the country, he said it is “fair, necessary, and appropriate, not only the return of María Corina but also of everyone who is in exile.”

“If you want to reconcile, as you say, a country, you have to ensure that everyone returns and that all political prisoners are freed,” he argued.

Guanipa believes that the amnesty law—after whose approval he was released despite the fact that, according to Parliament Speaker Jorge Rodríguez, it did not apply to him—“was not necessary” and also “cannot be exclusionary.”

“They themselves have said that without an amnesty law they released 800 or 900 people,” the opposition leader argued, saying that “what is needed is political will.”

“At first I didn’t know what I was going to face. Secondly, there is the fear of what might happen to you in prison, and, thirdly, there is the issue of when I might get out.”

Regarding his detention from May 23, 2025 until February 8 of this year, when he was released but hours later placed under house arrest after leading a caravan, he recalled his first 21 days as “extremely harsh,” “unpleasant,” and “inadequate.”

“At first I didn’t know what I was going to face. Secondly, there is the fear of what might happen to you in prison and, thirdly, there is the issue of when I might get out of here,” he recalled.

During that initial stage, he said he slept on a mat, in the cold and without blankets. He also wore a uniform that he was able to change 21 days later.

Guanipa, who on the 30th day of his confinement gained access to a book, admits he found refuge in prayer and reading, having read 154 books and 62,000 pages in eight months.

“I was free in prison,” he concluded, clinging to the hope of seeing his children again and of the country emerging “from this situation.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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The Demolition of Havana’s Historic ISDi Building Fills Neighbors’ Homes with Dust

Onlookers crowd together to watch the spectacle, and some take advantage of the situation to carry off rebar and other materials.

Main façade of what used to be the Higher Institute of Industrial Design (ISDi), on Belascoaín Street, Central Havana / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, Darío Hernández, March 4, 2026 – The official demolition of the Higher Institute of Industrial Design (ISDi), now taking place, is in reality the final sigh of a very, very slow death. What the excavators of the Construction Materials Business Group (Geicon) are destroying at number 710 Belascoaín Street, in Central Havana, is barely what remains of the building after four years of closure, partial collapses, looting, and absolute institutional neglect.

This Tuesday, the site, very close to the busy Carlos III Avenue, was packed with people. Workers, police officers, and onlookers crowded into Carlos J. Finlay Park, which faces the building’s façade, or walked around its sides along Enrique Barnet, Maloja, and San Carlos streets. Several, as 14ymedio confirmed, were carrying away rebar under the impassive gaze of the officers guarding the site.

The motionless excavators show that the demolition work is being carried out at a leisurely pace. / 14ymedio

Unlike similar situations in which the police cordon off the area, even prohibiting the use of cell phones, on this occasion people approached, took photos, and recorded videos without being discreet. There were also people inside, ignoring the mandatory safety measures in such cases.

The motionless presence of two excavators, one orange and one yellow, parked in front of what used to be the ISDi, shows that the demolition work is proceeding at a leisurely pace. Many sections still remain to be torn down.

At the back, along San Carlos Street, the rubble reaches the opposite sidewalk, filling the houses across the street with dust and debris. One neighbor complained to this newspaper: “It’s clearly a poorly done job, and we don’t know how long it will last.”

Workers, police officers, and onlookers crowded into Carlos J. Finlay Park, which faces the building’s façade, or walked around its sides. / 14ymedio

Residents have been enduring the deterioration of the ISDi ruins since March 2022, when the building was closed after an “architectural flaw” was detected that endangered students and staff. Without the State taking action to resolve those “flaws,” part of the interior façade collapsed in July 2024, and half a year later, in January 2025, another partial collapse left an elderly woman injured and four families without access to their homes.

In October of last year, authorities had to assign guards after graphic designer Esteban Aquino, a former student of the Institute, reported on social media, illustrating his message with photos, that numerous institutional documents, including theses, books, and catalogs, were scattered in nearby Carlos J. Finlay Park. Not only papers were stolen from the old school but also doors and windows, as neighbors told 14ymedio at the time.

One neighbor complained to this newspaper: “It’s clearly a poorly done job, and we don’t know how long it will last.” / 14ymedio

That its empty spaces were being used as bathrooms and dumping grounds, with the resulting health consequences for the neighborhood amid an arbovirus epidemic, was the most recent episode in its agony. However, the building’s final expiration has yet to arrive. In 1982, it was converted into the headquarters of the Polytechnic Institute of Industrial Design, the precursor to ISDi. Originally, it had been a military hotel and officers club for the Spanish Army. It later served as the Cadet School (1874–1878), an Asylum for Widows and Orphans, the General Staff headquarters during the first U.S. Occupation, and even the Ministry of Public Health before the Revolution. Even the official demolition is unfolding in slow motion.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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Cuba Now Allows Private Entities to Manage Nursing Homes and Homes for People with Disabilities

The measure is due to the country’s urgent need to expand the reach of social care services, the Government says.

More than 25% of Cubans are 60 years old or older. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, March 4, 2026 – Excess demand and a limited supply of qualified personnel are the main obstacles facing Cuba’s elder care sector. A Cuban woman living in Spain told 14ymedio that she had to travel to Havana precisely to find someone to take care of the only elderly relative she has left on the Island.

“There is no one who wants to dedicate themselves to that kind of work, and those who do offer a dance of prices,” laments the woman, who says the problem is not only that “they only accept foreign currency,” but also the “fear of those of us living abroad about bringing a stranger into the home of an elderly person.”

In fact, she will have to extend her stay in the Cuban capital, originally planned for two weeks, to continue searching for staff.

Meanwhile, amid the crisis in residential facilities for the care of older adults or people with disabilities in the country, where thousands of elderly people have been left neglected, the Government has issued a new regulation allowing private companies to manage this type of establishment.

Published in the Official Gazette on February 26, the measure follows up on the decree published in 2024, known as the National System for the Comprehensive Care of Life, which aimed to help ensure that care responsibilities “are redistributed among different social and economic actors, and within families, without discrimination of any kind, and to promote people’s autonomy and well-being,” although a legal framework for its operation had not yet been developed. continue reading

The document establishes that these services will operate as a complement to the state network, such as day centers for seniors and nursing homes.

It also requires new providers to reserve “at least 10%” of their capacity for vulnerable individuals considered “of social interest,” with rates equal to those of certified state institutions and the possibility that Social Assistance will assume payments when proven insolvency exists.

The new regulation establishes three service modalities: daytime care residences, permanent residences, and mixed centers that combine both options. These spaces will be intended for older adults or citizens with disabilities who require specialized care, medical supervision, or assistance with basic daily activities.

Those interested in creating these centers must obtain approval from the general director of the Ministry of Public Health in each municipality. The Ministry of Finance and Prices will evaluate tax incentives and define economic benefits to encourage the development of these services, while governors, mayors, and municipal administrations are tasked with promoting them, identifying properties, and facilitating supplies.

The measure also provides for an exemption from paying rent on the state-owned premises where the service will be provided for two years

The measure also provides for an exemption from paying rent on the state-owned premises where the service will be provided for two years, extendable to three. After that period, authorities will evaluate whether to grant the property in usufruct.

A key point left open in the agreement is that of rates. The document states that the Ministry of Finance and Prices will determine the amounts. Given the battered finances of Cubans, the measure, which is aimed at “expanding the reach of social care services to older adults or people with disabilities,” could face obstacles if prices turn out to be high.

There is already an example of this with the small private company TaTamanía. Founded in 2023 and describing itself on its website as the “first private agency in Cuba dedicated to care,” it offers services for mobile individuals at a cost of $1.10 per hour; for people with reduced mobility, $1.35; while hospital care is charged at $1.50. The minimum requirement to request service is 40 hours per week for one month. The cheapest plan costs $176, about 89,760 pesos at today’s informal exchange rate.

The new regulations, the text says, are due to the “accelerated aging process of the Cuban population.”

The new regulations, the text says. are due to the “accelerated aging process of the Cuban population, which demands an increase in services” and to “the need to expand the reach of social care services to older adults or people with disabilities,” whose care on the Island has traditionally been the exclusive responsibility of family members or state entities.

The massive exodus of young Cubans has left thousands of elderly people alone, without family support networks for basic care. This has led to nursing homes having a large population that does not even have the most basic services guaranteed, such as food. One example is the 13 de Marzo Home in Guanabacoa, Havana, where it is common to see residents begging for bread or money through the bars separating the facility from the street.

However, this lack of access to food has not remained confined to these centers. According to the Eighth Study on the State of Social Rights in Cuba by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), eight out of ten Cubans over the age of 61 had to skip breakfast, lunch, or dinner last year due to lack of money or food shortages.

The problem is enormous considering that one in four Cubans is 60 or older. The high degree of aging on the Island makes the country the most aged in Latin America and the Caribbean, a trend that has been rising since the early 2000s.

Translated by Regina Anavy

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A New Power Outage Has Left More Than Half of Cuba, Including Havana, Without Electricity

Cuba’s National Electric System (SEN) collapsed from Camagüey to Pinar del Río due to the shutdown of the Antonio Guiteras power plant, the largest in the country

Workers at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric power plant in Matanzas, in an archive photo. / Girón

14ymedio, Havana, 4 March 2026 — An unexpected breakdown at the Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas has caused a blackout across more than half of the country, from Camagüey to Pinar del Río, on Wednesday. All of Havana is currently without power.

According to a brief statement from the National Electric Union (UNE), the Guiteras hydroelectric plant tripped around 12:41 pm due to a leak in the boiler. The state-owned company assured that “all protocols for restoring the National Electric System (SEN) are already in place.”

La Guiteras is the largest and most important generating unit in the country and its shutdown from the system usually causes far-reaching effects due to the structural fragility of the SEN, which operates with a chronic generation deficit, frequent breakdowns in thermoelectric plants and limitations in fuel supply.

This is the first time this year that the system has collapsed, something that occurred several times in previous years. Between late 2024 and early 2025 , several nationwide or regional outages were recorded, some caused by failures in key units and others by extreme generation deficits, which forced the shutdown of entire blocks to prevent further damage. On several occasions, the total failure of the National Electric System (SEN) left the country in darkness for hours, with slow and phased restoration processes by microsystems.

The prolonged disruptions have impacted economic activity, transportation, telecommunications and water supply, in addition to exacerbating citizen discontent amid daily blackouts that, in some provinces, exceed 20 hours.

So far, the UNE has not specified how long it will take to fully restore service to the affected areas, which comes at a time of extreme crisis, exacerbated by the US oil blockade established after the intervention in Caracas on January 3.

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With the Legalization in Cuba of Mixed Companies Between the Private Sector and the State, the Regime Aims to Capture Efficiency

The new rule sparks skepticism among experts, and some fear it’s about “locking in state subordination of the private business sector.”

Some economists see this as a chance for mipymes (small and medium private businesses) to scale up. / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Madrid, 4 March 2026 — “With the new rule on mixed mercantile companies, imported fuel sold by the private sector might finally have an outlet.” That’s the take from Daniel Torralba, economist and analyst at the consulting firm Auge, after Tuesday’s approval of the new decrees regulating partnerships between state and private companies in Cuba. The announcement opens up a bunch of possibilities—with their ups and downs—but distrust toward the government’s intentions dominates the chatter.

Decree-Law 114/2025 essentially allows two types of association: mixed Limited Liability Companies (S.R.L.) and economic association contracts. It also covers acquisitions—of private shares by the state—and absorptions. Companies must submit a feasibility study proving they can self-finance and generate profits, plus align with the corresponding territorial development strategy.

If the Ministry of Economy and Planning gives the green light, the company gets autonomy to manage its assets, import and export directly, set its own prices, and decide its structure and workforce. Unlike mipymes [MSMEs] and self-employment, all activities are permitted—except Health, Education, and the Armed Forces (except for some purely business-related activities in those areas).

“The private sector could invest in all kinds of markets that were restricted until now, as long as it is done jointly with the Cuban State. One of those markets would be fuel sales,”

“The private sector could invest in all kinds of markets that were restricted until now, as long as it is done jointly with the Cuban State. One of those markets would be fuel sales,” Torralba points out in a Facebook post he titled ¿Cupets mixtos? (“Mixed Cupets?”). “While a private mipyme or cooperative can’t sell gasoline or diesel on its own, the sales could go through if done via a mixed limited liability company. For example, a (or several) hypothetical mixed companies between Cupet and private mipymes,” he reasons.

The economist—who lives in London—admits it is not clear if the US, which has authorized sales to private entities, would allow it if the company is mixed. But he figures “the key thing is the internal barrier gets removed. continue reading

We would need to confirm if the Cuban State would actually agree to mixed investment in that part of the energy sector, but in principle the decree-law allows it.”

Torralba adds that a deeper analysis is needed and tons of questions remain, but several commenters agree with him that the loophole is open—and since it won’t go unnoticed by the Trump administration, it is fair to wonder if the measure was even weighed in some never-confirmed negotiations with Washington.

Teresita López Joy, also from Auge, analyzed the pros and cons on the firm’s blog. She calls it an opportunity “but one that is conditioned.” The economist warns that “the key to success in 2026 won’t be who partners up fastest, but who manages to structure alliances that protect the private business’s autonomy while tapping into the state’s capabilities.” She advises that before jumping into these deals, you have to consider “not just whether the law allows it, but whether the current economic and geopolitical environment recommends it.”

López Joy breaks down the two types. A Mixed Limited Liability Company (SRL) is like a “legal marriage”: two personalities and assets merge to create a third one that inherits existing rights and obligations. The union is stronger and complex to dissolve.

An Economic Association Contract is “a much more agile figure that doesn’t create a new legal entity. The parties keep their legal independence but join forces for a common purpose for a set time”

An Economic Association Contract is “a much more agile figure that doesn’t create a new legal entity. The parties keep their legal independence but join forces for a common purpose for a set time,” possibly even managing a shared fund without issuing capital. Her takeaway: the flexibility of this one “could paradoxically be the most solid way to build a sustainable private sector in today’s Cuba.”

One big downside she flags is the bureaucracy. Timelines are long (up to 110 days, though theoretically 40 days should resolve it), and the approval adds “an extra political-administrative filter.” On the plus side, for entrepreneurs is access to direct import/export and previously banned sectors; for the state sector, “the interest seems to be capturing efficiency” and agility.

“No analysis of this rule in 2026 would be complete without addressing the elephant in the room: the blockade and its recent tightening,” she warns, echoing her colleague Torralba. While a mixed company “inherits the ‘state characteristic,’” an Economic Association Contract “offers relative shielding.” “Since it doesn’t create a new legal person, the private company keeps its separate legal identity, which could make it easier to argue to international partners that certain operations don’t involve a direct link to the Cuban state sector,” she says.

Yulieta Hernández Díaz, president of Grupo de Construcciones Pilares, is more skeptical. She sees hints of an Asian-style economic transformation, but worries political changes might get left behind. The entrepreneur, based in Havana, thinks Miguel Díaz-Canel is finally taking economic reforms seriously, but she doesn’t see “the structural transformations that are really needed.”

The entrepreneur, based in Havana, thinks Miguel Díaz-Canel is finally taking economic reforms seriously, but she doesn’t see “the structural transformations that are really needed.”

“I’m worried that the reforms being pushed today—both by sectors of the US administration (which focus their rhetoric on economic openings) and by Cuba’s own leadership—get interpreted as real structural change when, deep down, they might not mean any significant opening,” she says, and calls for steps toward democratization, starting with releasing political prisoners.

Economist Pedro Monreal dropped three short messages on his X account after “a quick read.” “From a model perspective, it’s a ‘domesticated’ destatization mechanism that combines ‘satellization’ of parts of the state sector with an ‘oblique graduation’ of private mipymes,” he notes. The expert believes the new rule lets parts of state companies break free to “take advantage of advantageous synergies with national private capital to reinforce state subordination of the private business sector.” He warns about the risks of state control but points out a positive: “Applied to a private business sector forced into the mipyme format with no option to become a large company, the new rule offers an alternative for ‘oblique graduation’ toward greater scale.”

Translated by GH

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Lula Defends Cuba Against the US: “They’re Going Hungry” Because of the “Blockade”

The Brazilian president spoke about the island during the opening of the 39th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean

EFE (via 14ymedio), Brasilia, 4 March 2026 — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defended Cuba this Wednesday and said its people “are going hungry because they don’t want them to have access” to the basics, right in the middle of the US government’s oil blockade against the island.

“Cuba isn’t going hungry because they don’t know how to produce or don’t know how to build their own energy. Cuba is going hungry because they don’t want them to have access to the things everyone should have a right to,” the so-called “progressive” leader said at the opening of the 39th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, in Brasília.

He used Cuba and Haiti as examples while slamming world leaders for not making the fight against hunger a priority and instead pumping more money into defense budgets.

“Suppose we don’t help Cuba because of ideological persecution: ‘We’re not helping Cuba because it’s a communist country’; then at least help Haiti, which is devastated, going through as much hunger as Cuba and being run by gangs,” Lula told representatives continue reading

from Latin American and Caribbean governments.

“Suppose we don’t help Cuba because of ideological persecution: ‘We’re not helping Cuba because it’s a communist country’; then at least help Haiti, which is devastated”

Cuba is in the middle of a serious fuel shortage crisis, made way worse by pressure from US President Donald Trump’s government after the intervention in Venezuela on January 3, which ended with Nicolás Maduro’s capture. Right after that, the US announced it was cutting off Venezuela’s oil supply to the island.

A few weeks later, on January 29, he signed an executive order threatening tariffs on any country that supplied oil to Cuba, claiming the island was a national security threat to the US. Trump then urged Havana to negotiate “before it’s too late.”

In this context, Lula called on Latin American and Caribbean countries to “wake up” and say they’re not accepting “submission” anymore — that they want, sovereignly, food for their people.

“We’re the only zone of peace in the world. Brazil chose not to have nuclear weapons and it’s right there in our Constitution. That saying ‘if you want peace, prepare for war’ is for people who want to make war,” he said.

He stressed that Latin America is a “rich” region that “basically has everything nature can offer,” but a lot of those resources end up being exploited by “people who aren’t from here” to make weapons.

“If we can’t wipe out hunger on the planet, it’s not because there’s too much rain or too much sun — it’s because of too much irresponsibility and lack of commitment (…) Hunger has to be treated as a top priority” and “we’re only going to end it when there’s real political will,” he insisted.

Translated by GH

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Honduras Spent More Than Three and a Half Million Dollars on Housing, Transportation, and Luggage for the Cuban Healthcare Workers

The vice president of health says they paid $1,600 for electricians who in Honduras earn less than $500.

The Deputy Minister of Health, Ángel Eduardo Midence. / Contexto HN

14ymedio, Havana, March 4, 2026 — As promised, the Honduran government continues its investigation into the Cuban medical missions brought in by the administration of President Xiomara Castro, an ally of Havana. This Sunday, Deputy Health Minister Ángel Eduardo Midence revealed that, in addition to the $6,604,800 the country paid for 178 Cuban healthcare workers, another $3,654,817 was disbursed from the coffers of the “Secretariat of Strategic Planning” to cover housing, transportation, and baggage expenses.

In an interview for the program Tu Nota, the official detailed that renting a house in Honduras ranges from 15,000 to 20,000 lempiras, airfare from 800 to 1,000 dollars, and excess baggage costs 50 dollars.

Midence confirmed that the outgoing government made two agreements, one in 2024 and another last year. “It started with an agreement for 88 collaborators and was extended; we ended up with approximately 169 to 178,” so the island received $1,600 monthly for each of these people.

The deputy minister clarified that the information revealed was provided by the Cuban Embassy. As the data from the Cuban servers was cross-referenced, it was found that, in addition to electricians, telecommunications technicians, and an economist, the medical brigade also included cutting and assembly technicians and administrators.

“Yes, there were specialist doctors, that’s true, but the stipend should have been calculated based on the function” they performed, he stressed.

Honduras paid Cuban electricians $1,600, while the salary for this trade in the country is 12,316 lempiras ($464) per month. A nursing technician receives a salary of 17,238 lempiras ($650).

“How many Honduran electricians and nursing technicians could have been paid with the Cubans’ salaries?” Midence asked. “They would gladly go continue reading

to the places where the medical brigade personnel were,” especially if “they were paid for housing, airfare, and their travel expenses.”

The Honduran government of Xiomara Castro made two agreements, one in 2024 and another last year. / El Yoro Newspaper

The official does not know which hospital the technicians, administrators, accountants and telecommunications technicians were located because they appear as “in process,” that is, “they did not have a permanent location.”

The doctor also explained the vast difference between what the Cubans received and what he experienced during his social service at the Santa Bárbara Integrated Hospital. “There were only two of us doctors for the entire place back then,” he said, explaining that they divided the surgical, emergency, and gynecological services. “The hardest part was the on-call shifts.”

Midence explained that he managed on a scholarship of 5,500 lempiras (US$18). “We lived in a single room, the two of us.” At that time, he said, “the mayor got us a loan for lunch.” Transportation was financed through donations from his parents’ friends.

With the end of its agreement with Cuba, Honduras follows in the footsteps of Guatemala and Antigua and Barbuda, as well as Guyana and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, which terminated their medical cooperation projects with the island after pressure from Washington. Last June, the US announced the revocation of visas for Honduran officials from the Ministry of Health (Sesal) and the Ministry of Strategic Planning.

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Dominica and Cuba Agree on Changes to the Doctor Recruitment Program

A report by ‘El Pais’ in Calabria reveals that Cuban healthcare workers in the region have, for years, received their full salary and then sent “a portion” back to the Island.

Arrival in Dominica of a group of Cuban doctors in 2024 / Cuban Foreign Ministry

14ymedio, Madrid, March 3, 2026 – Dominica confirmed this Monday that it is joining the list of countries modifying the terms of its agreement with Cuba for the recruitment of doctors from the Island, although the regime may have found a way to circumvent Washington’s main argument against these programs.

“We recognize that we must introduce some changes to the medical workers program, and we appreciate that the Government of Cuba has kindly agreed to cooperate with us in our effort to comply with the new requirements for Cuban healthcare workers,” said this Monday Vince Henderson, Foreign Minister of the Caribbean island.

At present, Henderson said, 65 Cuban doctors are providing services in the country, including physicians, specialists, nurses, and technicians, but the collaboration has lasted for decades. “I want to take this opportunity to thank Cuba for more than 30 years of support to the Government and people of the Commonwealth of Dominica through the sending of medical workers,” the foreign minister added.

“We will always be grateful to Cuba. They have been true friends in good times and bad,” he continued, while praising the Island’s role in training Dominican healthcare professionals who graduated in Cuba, as well as Havana’s assistance in establishing the country’s first intensive care unit and diagnostic center. continue reading

“We will always be grateful to Cuba. They have been true friends in good times and bad.”

The information formalizes what Henderson himself had already hinted at during the Caricom summit on February 24, when he first mentioned the issue, saying his Government planned to “make changes to the Cuban healthcare workers program” and that if there had to be an exit, it would be as gradual as possible to avoid affecting the population. However, Monday’s remarks do not suggest a withdrawal but rather a reform of the agreements, a path several countries have chosen, although the new method has not been disclosed.

The key, already pointed out by the Bahamas and Jamaica, appears to lie in direct payment to healthcare workers, something that has reportedly been done for a long time in Calabria, according to Tuesday’s report by El País. The Spanish newspaper traveled to the John Paul II Hospital in Lamezia Terme, in southern Italy, and spoke with members of the Cuban team, as well as with Calabria’s president, Roberto Occhiuto, just days after his meeting with the U.S. chargé d’affaires in Cuba, Mike Hammer.

“I frankly explained that the Cuban doctors currently present are indispensable to keep hospitals and emergency services operational,” Occhiuto said. “I clarified that our healthcare system is open to professionals of all nationalities.” According to the politician, from the conservative party Forza Italia, “the U.S. State Department has expressed its willingness to provide concrete assistance in the process of recruiting doctors,” although he did not specify how. However, those currently there will not leave at least until 2027. “They would have to close all the hospitals,” he admitted.

Calabrian authorities insist, as they had already stated after their meeting with Hammer, that by 2026 they expected to reach 1,000 Cuban doctors, although they have now opened the option to professionals of any nationality. “It is inappropriate to speak of U.S. pressure on Calabria to end its collaboration with Cuban doctors. The U.S. Administration, even during the presidency of Joe Biden, has never hidden its lack of enthusiasm for this initiative, but it cannot be considered interference or imposition,” Occhiuto tempered.

At the Lamezia hospital, General Antonio Battistini, former head of medical services for the Italian army, serves as commissioner and describes the Cubans as a relief. “In a region that still lacks a specialization school in emergency medicine, being able to rely on trained doctors represents a resource that is hard to replace,” he said. He commands 20 doctors in a province that has had 48, although three defected — five in the entire region.

“I was skeptical at first because the system is very complex. However, after a natural adaptation period, their contribution has been noticeable not only quantitatively but qualitatively.”

“Initially, the agreement provided that from the gross salary of 4,700 euros, about 1,200 would go directly to the doctors and the rest to the agency dependent on the Cuban Government. But it was changed two months later and the amount is transferred in a single payment to the doctors, who then send a portion to the Island,” the report states. Until now, the only known version regarding payment was the one given by the Italian press when the agreement was signed, but the new information reveals a method that would allow the regime to evade accusations that it keeps up to 90% of the salary. Archivo Cuba had already denounced last year that this could be a solution for Havana, as it could disguise the salary transfer as a voluntary contribution.

The Italians, according to the report, are more than satisfied with the work of their Cuban counterparts. “I was skeptical at first because the system is very complex. However, after a natural adaptation period, their contribution has been noticeable not only quantitatively but qualitatively,” said Gerardo Mancuso, head of Internal Medicine at the center, emphasizing that the doctors from the Island never miss work or request days off.

Battistini, who points out the similarities between the healthcare systems of Italy and Cuba, also highlights the Cubans’ “clinical competence.” “Without them we could not keep the Emergency Department open. It could not continue to exist,” added a doctor from the same hospital.

Within the contingent, whose members have learned the local language, there are those who have previously worked in other countries such as Venezuela and Panama, and they also say they feel satisfied with their work: “I think we have helped ease the workload in the Emergency Department, since admissions number in the thousands. Calabrians are very similar to Latins. With our Italian colleagues, we have managed to coordinate in a job that is not easy.”

Translated by Regina Anavy

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