A Cuban mother has voiced her frustration after her 10-year-old son, who has a tumor in his right eye, was denied the renewal of his special milk-only diet. Eliannis Ramírez took to Facebook to share her story, explaining that her son suffers from a plexiform neurofibroma, secondary glaucoma due to the tumor, neurofibromatosis type 1, and a hole in his skull, all while "waiting for a treatment that the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) has yet to provide."
"My son's diet expired, despite all his diagnoses," Ramírez stated. "I need someone from the government to explain to me how Damir is supposed to get his milk," she demanded.
Desperate Plea for Government Action
Enraged, Ramírez detailed that the doctors treating her son claim they can't issue a special diet because his tumor is benign, ignoring the significant damage and chronic nature of his condition. "Now I have to chase down the doctor to see if she can come up with a diet for him because everything is an invention, a struggle, a transaction; if you don't pay, you get nothing," she emphasized.
"I knew they would say no because my son's tumor is benign. But it's very aggressive, it's destroyed his skull. How can they take away his milk, how can they not renew his diet, the meager rations they give? Don't take it away, dammit!" she exclaimed.
Government Bureaucracy Adds to the Struggle
After sharing her video, Eliannis updated that the local doctor finally renewed the diet, but the Office of Food Control and Distribution (OFICODA) rejected it since only a specialist can authorize such a diet. "But what specialist? There are none for Damir's condition in Cuba. It's all a mess and an invention," she questioned.
In another post, she pleaded for someone to sell her an original diet model so it could be renewed, lamenting that OFICODA "has no paper, no shame."
Longstanding Issues with Cuba's Health System
Last September, Ramírez criticized the dire state of Cuba's public health system, desperate over her son's situation, who has been waiting for surgery for years. She publicly asked President Miguel Díaz-Canel how much she needs to pay for her son's eye tumor operation at one of Cuba's private clinics.
"Please, President Díaz-Canel, tell me how much the operation costs at one of the private clinics in Cuba. I want to know so I can raise the money and see if I can get him operated on. If I have to beg, I will. Just tell me the price because I know those clinics have the medical staff and resources," she pleaded.
Eliannis's son, Geobel Damir Ortiz Ramírez, resides in Bayamo but receives treatment at the Juan Manuel Márquez Pediatric Hospital in Marianao.