“It doesn’t matter if you make an appointment, because the doctors’ friends and family members have preference”
14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Cienfuegos, 4 October 2024 — Cienfuegos/In the Dr. Gustavo Aldereguía Lima hospital in Cienfuegos the word “patient” has taken on a new definition. Amid corridors flooded with people and without enough healthcare workers to deal with the sick, the wait for a simple consultation can take several hours.
“My father, who helped build this place, has serious eye problems. More than a year ago he was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes and, since then, we are on a waiting list of patients who need to undergo surgery,” explains Nancy, who went to the center with the old man at 7:00 am this Friday and, four hours later, he still had not been able to enter the consultation room.
The woman knows very well why, at the Gustavo Aldereguía Hospital and at any other health center on the island, patients treated “through the proper channels” take so long to be diagnosed. “It is an open secret. It doesn’t matter if you make an appointment, because the doctors’ friends and relatives have preference,” he says.
“Ahead of us have entered, without being called from the list, those who can afford to give the doctors bags with all kinds of products. The ophthalmologists themselves come looking for them to attend to them quickly. But I’m not leaving here today without setting the exact date for my dad’s operation. It doesn’t matter if they tell me that the equipment is broken or the operating room is out of order,” says Nancy with determination.
In the Cienfuegos hospital, which is a general and teaching hospital, outpatient consultations are held on the second and third floors, making access difficult for people with physical disabilities. “Since the elevator was broken, I had to ask two men to lift me, wheelchair included. The dermatologist who treats me hasn’t arrived yet so the day will be long,” says Dionisio, an elderly man who had both his legs amputated due to diabetes.
Since last June, the Cienfuegos native has been trying to get a doctor’s appointment to check a rash accompanied by skin depigmentation. “All the steps I took were in vain, including those I took through the association of the disabled to which I belong. I had no choice but to present myself without any recommendation other than my nationality, since the health system should be free and with quality for all Cubans. I hope I can have it treated before it’s too late,” he emphasizes.
Dionisio is aware that his treatment will be far from easy in the midst of the country’s crisis.
Dionisio is aware that his treatment will be far from easy in the midst of the country’s crisis. “To begin with, it will be a challenge to get good care because from me they are not going to get more than a “Thank you.” Then, there is the situation with the lack of medications. The doctor gives the prescription and you have to get the medicine however you can. Not to mention that the skin creams are not available. What are the options for those of us who have no family to send us drugs from abroad, nor do we have enough money to buy them in the informal market,” he asks.
Nancy, who has already wasted the entire morning in the waiting room, notices one of the ophthalmologists in a room attending to inpatients and hurries to question him. “Many people here saw the doctor without waiting for him to come to the consultation. This is an every-person-for-themselves situation, so necessity forces consideration for others to the side, unfortunately.” Taking her father by the arm, the woman is certain it is useless to continue in the outpatient clinic waiting for a miracle that will surely not happen, but the doctor’s answer brings her back to reality. “Madam, I consult in three hospitals and I only come here on Fridays. I have a lot of people to attend to in front of you.”
Translated by LAR
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