Cuba health crisis deepens amid US oil sanctions

A United Nations‑linked report says the United States’ energy blockade imposed in January has pushed Cuba’s free universal health system toward collapse. Fuel shortages and prolonged blackouts have forced the shutdown of about 1,400 megawatts of generation capacity, delayed surgeries for 100,000 patients and disrupted dialysis for nearly 3,000 kidney‑failure patients.

Child health has been hit especially hard. Infant mortality has doubled to 9.9 deaths per 1,000 births, and the survival rate for childhood cancer has fallen from 85% to 65%. More than 100,000 children under seven no longer receive the state‑provided daily liter of milk, and the 16‑vaccine immunisation programme for infants is “at risk.” Only roughly 30% of essential medicines are currently available, with 300 of 395 locally produced drugs missing critical chemical components.

The sanctions have also curbed food supplies – wheat purchases face “logistical and payment hurdles,” cutting bread production roughly in half – and prevented the delivery of 2,900 metric tons of contracted food aid. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk called the measures “indiscriminate and grave” and urged an immediate revocation of the sanctions. Paolo Spadoni, an associate professor at Augusta University, warned that “the United States bears responsibility for the acute humanitarian crisis unfolding on the island.”

In response, Mexico has sent a humanitarian cargo ship, and UN agencies have launched an emergency appeal, though funding remains far short of the $90 million needed. Protesters in Havana have taken to the streets demanding restored electricity and basic services.