Camagüey health authorities threaten “the full rigor of the law against those who violate the regulations”
14ymedio, Madrid, October 9, 2026 / The General Health Directorate of Camagüey was quick to react to reports in the independent press about a private establishment in the province that offers medical services of all kinds, which are expressly prohibited under Cuban law. The news broke this Wednesday in several media outlets that echoed a social media post in which the business, Dalia Spa, advertised everything from internal medicine and cardiology consultations to ultrasounds, gynecological procedures and laboratory tests, all of them in dollars.
“We must be categorical: in our country the practice of private medicine is not permitted under any circumstances or form of payment. There is no legal basis whatsoever that protects this activity, which is explicitly prohibited in Decree-Law 160 of 2026,” declares the public body, which justifies its statement by citing the outrage these advertisements have provoked among some sectors of the population, including health professionals.
“Any person, whether a health professional or a private individual, who attempts to practice or promote these activities is engaging in an illicit activity and, therefore, committing a crime. The health and judicial authorities of the province will act with the full rigor established by law against those who violate these regulations,” the health authorities maintain.
“Any person, whether a health professional or a private individual, who attempts to practice or promote these activities is engaging in an illicit activity and, therefore, committing a crime”
Despite the disastrous state of the public health system, the message reminds readers that health care is “a right of the people and a duty of the State.” “We will not allow,” it continues, “individual interests or profit-making practices outside the law to damage the health system that we have built and that belongs to all Cubans. We urge the population not to be deceived by fraudulent offers and to report to the competent authorities any attempt to profit from human health,” the text concludes.
The statement has set off a debate on social media. More than 200 messages responded to the post in its first 12 hours online, an absolute anomaly considering that the rest of this Thursday’s posts have zero comments. “Social media is a way of knowing the opinion of the population and, if you look, more than half of the comments spoke in favor of combining the private sector with the state sector as a solution to the real crisis that public health is facing right now,” one user summed up perfectly.
Countless users asked why private professional practice is not permitted in the medical sector, most of them underlining how positive it would be to combine it with the public system for those who cannot afford paid services.
“As a doctor who works outside Cuba, and who has worked in both sectors, private and public, I’m going to say the following: the private system is not for everyone; that’s not how it works anywhere in the world. It is designed for those who can afford it, which will never relieve governments of the responsibility to guarantee a public system with adequate conditions,” wrote a doctor trained at the Carlos J. Finlay University of Medical Sciences of Camagüey who currently works in the US, according to her bio.
Some negative comments object that the private system is a business. “Cuba can’t be compared to France or Spain, stop the absurd comparisons,” chides a user opposed to the mixed systems that most of the responses advocate. “The day I have to pay for medical services, the little that remains will be finished. I’m referring to humanism and to commerce. We will become a commodity,” she adds.
The vast majority, however, believe that under the current conditions of the public system there is no guarantee that the population will receive adequate treatment, and they would rather have a private system for those who can afford it. “I don’t see anything wrong with that business existing, even though I’m one of the many citizens who can’t pay for those services. But at least it’s available for those who can, or for those who somehow manage to scrape together the money to pay. I even felt a bit of relief when I saw the advertisement, because at least it’s an option. Because it’s much worse to have no alternative at all,” one commenter asserts.
The one who really touches the sore spot is the person demanding that the regime explain why foreigners are allowed to have better facilities by paying
However, the one who really touches the sore spot is the person demanding that the regime explain why foreigners are allowed to have better facilities by paying. “Well, to keep that from happening, create humane conditions for doctors and institutions. Besides, they have collected plenty of money over all these years from the missions, and from patents on medicines that were created here and that many people don’t know about. Why can an international Cuban clinic charge for the service, while a doctor who genuinely wants to offer his services cannot?” the commenter asks.
Dalia Spa, the beauty center that has landed in the eye of the storm, remains silent, although it is exposed to penalties for publicly advertising services prohibited by law. Centers that charge for medical procedures and tests are proliferating beyond this specific case. Yesterday, this newspaper managed to contact one of the many clinics offering dental services in Havana and confirmed that an appointment can be made, although customer service avoids giving the address until the last moment.
Translated by GH
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