Cuba warns U.S. blockade cripples services for disabled and health sector at UN

Cuba’s delegation to the United Nations reaffirmed its commitment to the full inclusion of people with disabilities, stressing that U.S. economic, commercial and financial sanctions and the accompanying energy embargo severely restrict access to public health, specialized education and essential services. Ambassador Daylenis Moreno Guerra warned that minutes of tightened restrictions could cost enough to purchase all the wheelchairs or hearing prostheses needed by Cuban students.

A Cuban‑produced report released the same period detailed the broader humanitarian toll of the blockade: daily power outages lasting up to 20 hours, about 1,400 MW of electricity generation offline, infant mortality rising from 4.0 to 9.9 per 1,000 live births, shortages of more than 300 essential medicines, and thousands of cancer, dialysis and pediatric patients facing treatment gaps. The report also noted the withdrawal of international shipping firms, airlines and mining companies, further deepening the island’s economic crisis.

Cuban officials framed the sanctions as a collective punishment aimed at destabilising the population, while pledging to continue updating legal and institutional frameworks to protect the rights of persons with disabilities.