Cuban Mother Protests Neglect of HIV-Positive Son by Health System

Evelyn Pineda Concepción, the mother of a nine-year-old boy living with HIV, has once again raised her voice to criticize the institutional neglect her son faces from the Cuban healthcare system. "I'm going to take to the streets with my child so a patrol car can take him to the hospital," she warned in a recent interview with the independent outlet CubaNet.

William Echevarría Pineda, her son, has battled a complex medical condition since birth: he lives with HIV, cerebral dysplasia, cerebral toxoplasmosis, hepatitis B, pulmonary tuberculosis, and has experienced multiple left-side paralysis episodes. Adding to his challenges is a motor disability; he cannot walk and requires specialized, ongoing medical care.

For nine months, his mother claims, William has not received a single medical consultation, either at the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) or the Pediatric Hospital of Centro Habana, where he should be seen by a neurologist. The Municipal Health Directorate of Guanabacoa has cited the lack of medical transportation as the reason. "They tell me to find my own way. How can I do that when he can't walk and I have no resources?" she questioned in her video statement.

Long-standing and Documented Neglect

This isn't the first time Evelyn has brought attention to her son's plight. Since at least 2021, she has protested publicly outside her home with signs demanding medical care and medications for her child. She has previously highlighted how local authorities ignore her pleas for medical attention for her son, a child suffering from chronic illnesses due to medical negligence during birth.

In February 2021, she reported that William contracted HIV at birth when a poorly performed cesarean by a medical student broke basic health protocols. "They told me a professional would perform the cesarean, but a student did it, and that's how my son was infected," she stated at the time. Later, hospital authorities concealed the HIV test results from the family, using excuses like "the vial broke" or "the sample coagulated."

A Mother Under Extreme Pressure

Evelyn's case also highlights the emotional and social deterioration facing many caregiving mothers in Cuba. In March 2024, overwhelmed by the lack of food and medical attention for her son, Pineda attempted suicide by ingesting medication. She was hospitalized, leaving her child completely vulnerable.

"I can't take it anymore. I have to find food, medication, medical care alone... and nothing works. Neither the government nor the public health system provides solutions," she expressed in one of her statements documented by this outlet.

Official Response and Propaganda Amidst Child Health Crisis

Evelyn's complaints emerge amidst widespread social unrest and criticism of Cuba's crumbling healthcare system. Recently, the case of Geobel Damir Ortiz, a child diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 1 and acute leukemia, sparked public outrage when it was revealed he needed to be transferred to the United States for treatment. This led to an official propaganda campaign aimed at countering criticism by promoting "public health achievements" in state media and institutional networks.

Simultaneously, several officials acknowledged hospital shortages, while others took to social media to challenge the official narrative. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz attempted to mitigate political damage by praising health professionals' dedication. Yet, the stark contrast between propaganda and reality is increasingly untenable. Cases like William Echevarría's—an immobilized child left without care for months—expose the harsh truth of a crisis that official speeches cannot mask.

International Appeals and Humanitarian Visa Efforts

In 2023, William's mother even sought a humanitarian visa in hopes of securing treatment abroad. However, no organization has yet taken up the case, and the child remains in a home lacking basic conditions, medications, and health guarantees.

The disregard for people living with HIV is not a new pattern. In February of the same year, CiberCuba reported that the regime denied an urgent surgery to Evelyn Pineda Concepción, who is also HIV-positive, after she had waited over 18 days for an operation on some lymph nodes without any response from medical authorities. Pineda Concepción is a seropositive activist, part of the Opositores por una Nueva República (MONR).

"They're letting my son die," Pineda has insisted, emphasizing that her case is not isolated. "There are several children dying because they aren't being treated. In Cuba, there are no medications, nothing. They're letting them die," she stated during her interview with CubaNet. She fears that unless she takes drastic action, like staging a public protest or issuing a stronger denunciation, her son will simply be lost amid bureaucratic neglect and state apathy.

William Echevarría's story not only encapsulates the plight of countless neglected Cubans but also portrays the struggle of a mother who has tried everything: protesting, denouncing, persisting... yet she remains in wait. Meanwhile, the regime continues to tout its slogans of "free and universal healthcare," ignoring the real suffering of those excluded from its official statistics.