The Cuban government recently celebrated the dedication of healthcare professionals by presenting a used car to the chief of Neonatology at Lenin Hospital in Holguín, recognizing her years of service. The event took place last Saturday, intended as a token of appreciation for Dr. Ana Nastia Tamayo Ortiz's significant contributions to public health, particularly for improving the lives of countless children and their families in Holguín province.
The Facebook page of Lenin Hospital highlighted this "small token" as a gesture from the Cuban people. The ceremony, attended by family, colleagues, hospital administrators, and featuring official speeches, exemplified the surreal nature of the communist system, revealing both its symbolic gestures and inherent shortcomings.
By presenting a used car to a seasoned professional, the regime attempts to mask the deep-rooted issues plaguing Cuba's public healthcare system. This gesture fails to address critical problems like supply shortages and crumbling infrastructure at the hospital. In many other countries, a specialist with her expertise would likely afford several new cars and provide a comfortable life for her family.
In stark contrast, Cuban doctors face daily struggles, from insufficient salaries to a lack of essential materials. Rather than tackling these systemic problems, the government opts for ceremonial acts that offer little practical improvement.
Symbolic Gestures Amidst Systemic Failures
Occasionally, the regime ceremoniously gifts used cars to professionals with decades of experience as a form of "recognition." After 40 years in academia and additional years in healthcare, a Cuban physiologist received her first car from the state. The official media touted this as a "gift from the Revolution" to the nation's healthcare professionals.
In 2018, the local newspaper 5 de Septiembre reported on Professor Sandra Williams Serrano, a physiology specialist at Raúl Dorticós Medical University in Cienfuegos, who was given "her splendid car." That same year, in Ciego de Ávila, another Cuban doctor, Belkys Celaida Díaz Fernández, was awarded a Kia Picanto by the Provincial Directorate of Public Health in recognition of her professional achievements.