Maternity care in Holguín also suffers from the blockade against Cuba
- Written by Redacción ¡ahora!
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The maternity ward at the Vladimir Ilich Lenin University Teaching Hospital, one of the hospitals with the highest number of annual births in the country, also suffers from the impact of the U.S. economic, commercial, and financial embargo against Cuba.
According to Rubén Reynaldo Rojas, deputy director of the hospital's department, the protocol for critical maternal care should include around 50 antibiotics, but they only have three.
The main impacts include shortages of broad-spectrum antibiotics, steroids, and spare parts, whose components, which are of U.S. origin, are impossible to obtain due to the restrictions.
He added that the blockade limits the purchase of hydraulics for operating tables and anesthesia machines, as well as the availability of sutures, lactated Ringer's solution, and other supplies.
In addition, there is a fuel shortage, which delays the timely arrival of products such as oxygen from Santiago de Cuba or Havana, despite the fact that the hospital has a reserve for such cases, he said.
Reynaldo Rojas highlighted the efforts of the Ministry of Public Health to ensure essential supplies for the care of mothers and newborns, which are procured at high costs and through third countries.
Cuban healthcare is among the areas most affected by the genocidal policy that has been in place for more than 60 years, which also hinders services such as oncology, cochlear implants, and neurology.
Despite this situation, the island maintains first-world indicators in terms of infant mortality rate, low birth weight, and survival after a congenital malformation, demonstrating the unwavering commitment of its healthcare professionals. (Source: ACN)
