Cuba's health system battles shortages and performs complex brain surgery

Doctors at the Hospital General Provincial Camilo Cienfuegos in Sancti Spíritus successfully removed a giant 26‑mm cerebral aneurysm from a 66‑year‑old patient, using a combination of anterior clinoidectomy, retrograde suction and a locally developed fibrin‑based sealant. The procedure avoided referral to Havana, and the patient remains under postoperative monitoring.

At the same time, Cuban cancer patients are facing severe shortages of essential medical supplies after U.S. sanctions restricted the import of equipment, reagents and drugs. Irisleydis Tristá, a 34‑year‑old undergoing treatment for a tumor compressing her vena cava, cannot access a CT scan because the scanner at Hospital Hermanos Ameijeiras lacks spare parts. Health officials cite a lack of syringes, anesthetics, chemotherapy agents and other items, while the WHO describes the impact as “dramatic.” A UN‑backed emergency fund of $94 million aims to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, but child cancer survival rates have already fallen from 85 % to 65 % since the sanctions intensified.