A woman residing in Miami has taken to social media to expose the harrowing circumstances faced by her family in Camagüey due to inadequate care for her brother, who suffers from mental health disorders. She argues that the Cuban government perceives these individuals as burdens rather than human beings deserving of compassionate treatment.
Yasmin González León highlighted in a Facebook post the deterioration of Cuba's healthcare system, emphasizing its severe impact on vulnerable individuals like her brother and their families. She described the chronic medication shortages that have made it impossible for her brother to receive consistent treatment, worsening his condition critically. "One day it's one medicine, the next day it's another," she lamented.
Exacerbating the problem is the fact that her brother, who is 12 years younger than her, can only access his necessary medications sporadically on the black market, where prices are prohibitively high. This underscores the lack of resources and the healthcare system's inability to adequately support mental health patients, González pointed out.
Dire Conditions at Camagüey Psychiatric Hospital
One of the most distressing elements of her complaint is the condition of the Camagüey Psychiatric Hospital. According to González, patients endure rusty beds and appalling hygiene standards. "The so-called 'insane' are no longer regarded as human beings," she stated, highlighting the degradation of medical care and the indignity with which patients are treated in these institutions.
González further noted that the hospital's priority seems to be concealing these harsh realities from social media rather than providing the necessary care for her brother, who has been in crisis for several days. "Writing a Facebook post has become a greater crime than allowing a person's soul to be destroyed," she emphasized.
Systemic Failures and Public Criticism
Despite her brother's critical condition, the hospital refuses to offer medical care unless he is admitted, a decision her parents resist due to the deplorable conditions. "In Cuba, they are systematically destroying the Cuban soul by all possible means," González criticized the regime.
"My brother and my parents are merely a small part of the casualties left in the wake of the so-called 'Revolution,'" she remarked, condemning the total degradation of Cuba's public health system, which she believes is more focused on building hotels than improving healthcare facilities.
This is not the first time the Camagüey Psychiatric Hospital has faced criticism for its neglect and the treatment of patients. In March, Cubanet published a Facebook gallery revealing the hospital's appalling conditions, where patients were restrained and subjected to electroshock therapy due to medication shortages. "Patients at the René Vallejo Ortiz Psychiatric Hospital in Camagüey are being subjected to electroshock and kept tied up due to a lack of sedative medications," the publication underscored.
Five months later, little has changed. Recently, a Cuban mother reported the staff shortages and poor conditions affecting hospital services after her son required specialized care during a crisis. Yet, once at the hospital, doctors insisted on admitting the young man for electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), commonly known as electroshock treatment.