Díaz-Canel acknowledges the decline of public health in Cuba
Díaz-Canel publicly acknowledges figures showing the decline of the health system, including tens of thousands of children with incomplete vaccination schedules.
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Daily life versus the propaganda
Each sector answers one official claim with documentary evidence, figures the state itself has admitted and citizens’ own reports.
Health See the full sector →
“Cuba is a world medical powerhouse, free of charge and exemplary.”
Díaz-Canel admits a 70% shortage of essential medicines
The regime officially admits a 70% shortage of essential medicines in state pharmacies and hospitals across Cuba.
Cuba cuts surgeries and medical services: the minister admits a deep crisis
Coverage of the drop in annual surgeries in Cuba, from roughly 1.2 million to 700,000, and the long waitlists acknowledged by the Health Ministry.
The minister calls for “universal access” at the BRICS while 16,000 health workers work outside Cuba
In a video to the BRICS health ministers, Portal Miranda defended universal access; that month more than 100,000 people awaited surgery and 16,000 Cuban health professionals worked in 50 countries.
On the Mesa Redonda, the government admits more than 100,000 people are waiting for an operation
Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez Díaz acknowledged on state TV that more than 100,000 people, 10,000 of them children, are waiting for surgery, and infant mortality has risen to 9.3 per 1,000.
Hospitals under strain in Cuba amid the fuel shortage
Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda tells the AP that the fuel shortage now threatens patients' basic safety; ambulances are stranded without fuel.
The health minister admits the system is “on the verge of collapse”
In an AP interview, Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda said 5 million chronic patients will see their treatment affected and some hospitals face blackouts of up to 20 hours a day.
Cuban medical mission in Venezuela: G2 intelligence control over doctors
A Cuban doctor describes in an exclusive interview how Cuban intelligence (G2) surveils and controls health professionals on medical missions in Venezuela.
Dengue and chikungunya outbreak in Havana
A report from Havana on the dengue and chikungunya outbreak, linked to accumulated garbage and the lack of fumigation.
"Who saves Cubans?" No ambulances, hospitals in ruins, no supplies
A report on Cuban hospitals in disrepair and ambulances out of service for lack of parts and fuel.
Cuban woman shows the state of a Matanzas hospital: "We had to bring our own syringes"
A Cuban woman documents the Faustino Pérez hospital in Matanzas and describes how her family had to bring their own syringes for a patient to be treated.
A rare look inside a Havana hospital during a massive blackout
Rare access inside Havana's Institute of Hematology, where a leukemia patient must stay admitted for weeks because of blackouts and the fuel shortage.
Hospital emergency rooms without syringes or basic painkillers
Citizen reports reveal emergency rooms lack syringes and painkillers, forcing patients to supply their own materials.
HRF report: human trafficking in Cuba’s medical missions
Human Rights Foundation documents coercive practices the Cuban state uses on doctors in its overseas medical missions to keep them from defecting.
Cuban mother denounces torture and denial of medical care for her imprisoned son
A mother denounces on camera the denial of medical care and mistreatment of her imprisoned son, who has mental-health conditions.
Housing See the full sector →
“The socialist state guarantees decent housing for every Cuban.”
Water shortages deepen the crisis in Cuba
A report on Havana residents who depend on water-delivery trucks to get water, amid the fuel crisis.
A shortfall of 805,583 homes and building collapses in Centro Habana
Official 2025 data put Cuba's housing shortfall at 805,583 homes; according to the OCDH, only 18% of households live in a home in good condition.
Four dead in building collapses in Cuba
Two building collapses, in Diez de Octubre and Old Havana, leave four people dead.
Fatalities after a building collapse in Old Havana
Coverage of a fatal building collapse in Old Havana, an example of the housing deterioration documented by the OCDH.
“No one goes hungry; the ration book covers the basic basket.”
Cuba keeps buying chicken from the United States despite sanctions
USDA data show Cuban chicken purchases in April 2026 exceeded January's; in 2022 chicken was more than 85% of the $328.5 million Cuba spent on US food.
The basic basket shrinks: rice and sugar below planned levels
In Guantánamo, the ration basket arrives with rice and sugar below planned amounts, without oil or coffee for months and with delays, according to 14ymedio; the situation is repeated across the country.
Fight breaks out in a line to buy chicken in Cuba
A fight breaks out in a line to buy chicken, reflecting the tension caused by the scarcity of basic foods.
Santiago de Cuba official admits on state TV there isn't enough flour for bread
On a Santiago de Cuba state TV program, an official admits live on air that there isn't enough flour to guarantee the bread ration.
Cuban farmer denounces the prices the state pays for milk and cattle
A Cuban farmer denounces on camera the low, state-imposed prices the Acopio monopoly pays for milk and cattle.
Despite the "blockade," Cuba buys over $250 million in chicken from the United States
A report on Cuba's purchases of US chicken, exceeding $250 million a year despite the official embargo narrative.
Where is the blockade? A ship from the US arrives in Cuba loaded with chicken containers
Footage of a ship from the United States being unloaded, carrying several containers of frozen chicken, at a Cuban port.
Transportation See the full sector →
“Public transportation runs in a planned and accessible way.”
Only a quarter of provincial buses are running
In March 2026 the transport minister acknowledged that only a quarter of provincial buses are running and one train leaves every eight days.
Blackouts See the full sector →
“Power cuts are occasional, caused by technical or weather-related problems.”
A 2,168 MW shortfall in the power system, September 2026
On September 15, 2026 the generation shortfall reached 2,168 MW; the next day availability was forecast at 1,100 MW against demand of 3,200 MW.
El Fanguito residents protest after a weekend of blackouts
NTN24 report: residents of El Fanguito, a Havana neighborhood, took to the street to protest prolonged blackouts and lack of services.
A Russian oil tanker carrying about 100,000 tons of crude arrives in Cuba
A Russian oil tanker docks in Matanzas carrying nearly 100,000 tons of crude, evidence of Cuba's active trade with other countries despite the "total blockade" narrative.
Cuba in the dark after the national power grid fails
Reuters video: Cuba's national grid collapsed late on Friday, March 14, 2025, leaving the whole country without power.
Work and wages See the full sector →
“The model protects workers with fair wages and full employment.”
A minimum wage of 2,100 pesos against a 4,300-peso carton of eggs
In September 2026 a carton of eggs cost 4,300 pesos on the informal market, more than the state minimum wage of 2,100 pesos and the minimum pension of 3,056.
94% of Cubans live in extreme poverty: hunger, blackouts and lack of water
Cuba al Día (DNews) segment walking through the OCDH report's figures on extreme poverty, skipped meals, blackouts and water shortages.
OCDH report: 94% of Cubans live in extreme poverty
The Cuban Observatory for Human Rights' ninth social-rights report puts 94% of Cubans in extreme poverty, excluding remittances; 68% of households earn under 20,000 pesos a month.
This is what Cuba's tourism collapse looks like: empty streets and closed hotels
Footage of empty streets and closed or barely-occupied hotels, even as the state keeps prioritizing hotel investment.
Labor minister resigns after saying “there are no beggars in Cuba”
Labor Minister Marta Elena Feitó resigned on July 15, 2025, a day after telling a National Assembly committee that people begging on the street were 'disguised' as beggars.
Elderly Cubans go three days without food and ask for help
Elderly people describe going three days without eating and ask for help amid the lack of food.
Elderly Cubans eat from the garbage to avoid starving
Footage documenting elderly people searching for food in garbage containers in Cuba.
Cuban family receives a package sent from the United States
A Cuban family opens a package of clothes, food and medicine sent by relatives in the United States, illustrating how dependent daily life is on remittances and care packages.
Díaz-Canel blames the "blockade" at the close of the National Assembly session
A speech by Díaz-Canel to the National Assembly attributing the economic crisis to the US embargo.
Education See the full sector →
“Education is universal, free and of unquestionable excellence.”
The uniform can't hide the crisis: how the school year begins in Cuba
The school year starts with a shortage of uniforms, a teacher deficit above 25%, and blackouts disrupting classes.
Classrooms without teachers: Camagüey needs 2,468 teachers and has closed 19 schools
In May 2026, Camagüey reported a shortfall of 2,468 teachers and 19 closed schools, and Sancti Spíritus filled only 68.2% of its teaching posts.