Cuba's Cancer Care Plummets as U.S. Sanctions Trigger Drug and Equipment Shortages

Cuban health officials say severe shortages of oncology supplies are deepening a crisis in the island's cancer care. The United States' tightened sanctions and an "energy blockade" after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro have limited imports of medicines, medical equipment parts, and fuel, causing prolonged power outages and transport delays.

The survival rate for children with cancer has dropped from 85% to 65%, and two pediatric deaths have been reported this year. Patients such as 34‑year‑old Irisleydis Tristá cannot obtain CT scans because the hospital’s scanner lacks spare parts. Hospitals report a lack of syringes, gauze, vaccines, anesthetics, cytostatics, and dialysis‑machine components.

The Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization estimate that about 16,000 Cuban patients need radiotherapy and 12,400 need chemotherapy, but the system can treat only roughly 9,000 annually. Fuel shortages further impede patients from remote provinces, sometimes delaying treatment for up to two weeks.

Cuban authorities have launched a program investing over $5 million to revive domestic drug production and recently inaugurated a new oncology outpatient unit, while the United Nations announced a $94 million emergency plan to address the humanitarian fallout.