AGP Executive Report

Humanitarian & mental health strain: A new AP report paints a grim picture of Cuba’s daily life—sweltering nights, water and power shortages, fuel limits, weak cellphone service—and says the psychological toll is pushing many patients to “play psychologist,” with hope fading fast. BRICS solidarity on Cuba: Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez points to the BRICS New Delhi Declaration’s “deep concern” over the U.S. blockade’s effects on health and food security, while a New Zealand Cuba Friendship Society highlights the declaration’s dedicated paragraph calling for an end to unilateral coercive measures. Healthcare access under pressure: A Guantánamo pensioner’s wait for banking help turns into a restroom crisis, with residents describing how basic needs are handled in abandoned spaces—an everyday dignity issue tied to weak public infrastructure. Communication disruption: ETECSA reports gradual recovery of voice and data on the Isle of Youth after damage to underwater connection routes left the area nearly isolated for days. Maternal nutrition controversy: In Manicaragua, Villa Clara, residents accuse a milk tanker of diverting supplies meant for pregnant women and services, sparking outrage over shortages for vulnerable groups. Local health services & surveillance: Reports also note dengue-focused guidance and strengthened epidemiological surveillance in Las Tunas. Injury & safety: A Varadero crash involving a modern car and an electric tricycle leaves multiple people injured, adding to concerns about tricycle-related accidents.

Cuba Health & Rights: BRICS leaders used the New Delhi summit to call for an end to the U.S. blockade, warning it harms Cuba’s economy, energy supply, and people’s rights to health and food security. Cuba Health & Services: A Harvard working group report says Cuba’s crisis spans health, food, energy, and infrastructure, arguing for a democratic transition, a new constitutional assembly, and a “social market economy” with multiple forms of ownership. Maternal Nutrition Alarm (Villa Clara): Residents in Manicaragua, Villa Clara reported a tanker allegedly diverting milk meant for pregnant women and services, with claims of shortages and irregular deliveries to a maternal home. Health System Strain & Detention Risks: A Cubalex report on August highlights rising violence and five deaths in custody, linking some cases to denial or insufficient medical care in detention. Global Health Context: A separate report notes patients increasingly travel for cancer care as high costs and shortages push demand toward lower-cost CAR-T treatment options abroad.

Hospital Hygiene Crisis: Photos from Orlando Pantoja Tamayo General Hospital in Contramaestre show emergency-area restrooms flooded with urine, dirty floors, rusted pipes, and patients forced to walk on cardboard—renewing calls for basic hygiene and upkeep in Cuba’s care settings. Medication Shortage & Trust Erosion: In Bayamo, a resident alleges state pharmacies sold near-expiring drugs (including paracetamol and azithromycin) during a period when dengue and chikungunya outbreaks hit hard, raising urgent questions about reserves and supply accountability. Energy, Care, and Daily Survival: A Cuban family doctor in the U.S. spotlight received a rechargeable ventilator for her son after social media attention—highlighting how Cuba’s energy constraints can directly threaten disability care. Telecom Blackout Fallout: Isla de la Juventud remains without mobile service for days after submarine cable damage; ETECSA says repairs are slowed by weather and still won’t give a restoration date, leaving families abroad unable to guide loved ones. Public Health Systems Under Strain: Holguín’s official press criticizes state entities for repeatedly ignoring journalists and citizens, including health services—adding pressure to fix gaps that affect patient access and response. BRICS & Health Resilience: BRICS leaders adopted the New Delhi Declaration, emphasizing resilience and cooperation on health crises, while also condemning sanctions and trade barriers that can worsen living conditions.

Epidemiology Watch: Cuba’s Las Tunas health authorities say they’ve stepped up surveillance for febrile cases, including dengue and other arboviruses, with tighter checks on travelers in polyclinics and hospitals. Public Health Guidance: A local health expert explains hepatitis is a notifiable disease in Cuba and urges people with symptoms to seek care fast so family doctors and polyclinics can track sources and stop spread. Energy + Care Crisis: A Cuban doctor in the family doctor system received a rechargeable ventilator for her son after her viral plea reached Miami, highlighting how power shortages and lack of equipment can derail care for children with special needs. Communication Breakdown: ETECSA still has no firm timeline to restore mobile service on Isla de la Juventud after submarine cable damage, leaving families abroad unable to reach loved ones and intensifying daily distress. Food Shortage at Home: A report asks “Who kept our daily bread?” as bread distribution and quality falter amid flour shortages, power outages, and equipment problems. Workplace Safety: Two linemen were hit in an electrocution accident during construction of a solar park output line in Cienfuegos; one died and the other is in intensive care. Community Appeal: A Santiago de Cuba activist is seeking help for a seven-month-old hospitalized after his mother died, with urgent needs including diapers, milk, food, and a rechargeable fan.

Cuba Healthcare Under Siege: A new report says Cuba’s healthcare system is in freefall as cuts and shortages bite, with hospitals facing lack of supplies and power disruptions. Fuel Crisis Hits Care: Advocacy groups urge House Democrats to vote on a war powers resolution to end Trump’s oil embargo, warning it has triggered grid collapses, stalled transport, and pushed rationing of care. Pharma System Changes: Cuba is advancing new management models for pharmaceutical services, including how private pharmacies will operate and what medications they can dispense. Dengue & Public Guidance: Health authorities in Las Tunas strengthen surveillance and urge people to seek care for any dengue symptoms. Dialysis Access Boost: Las Tunas has launched a charging station for electric vehicles transporting hemodialysis patients, with plans to add solar panels. Food Supply Strain: Mincin officials admit rice is produced but not perceived due to supply-chain failures, worsened by fuel cuts. Corruption Probe Recognized: A Cuban investigation into corruption and “silent privatization” in the national health system is a finalist for the Roche Health Journalism Award. Humanitarian Aid: Barbados joined a CARICOM-Mexico shipment to Cuba, sending powdered milk amid severe shortages. Immigration Pressure on Cubans: A ReliefWeb report highlights how more than half a million Cubans tied to the I-220A process face uncertain status as courts debate eligibility under the Cuban Adjustment Act.

Pharmaceutical Reform in Cuba: Cuba is moving ahead with Decree 160/2026, evaluating 36 projects that would let non-state entities manage community pharmacies—without leasing state premises—while keeping strict rules on storage, dispensing, and CECMED registration. Holguín Wellness Pharmacy Launch: A new Holguín pharmacy, “La botica de Los Parques,” is blending health products with wellness items like natural juices, tea, fruit salad, and adult diapers, with restocking paid in national currency and via electronic channels. Agriculture Overhaul for Food Security: Cuba published a new legal framework for agriculture aimed at food sovereignty, expanding usufruct and land access for micro, small, and medium-sized producers and cooperatives. Human Rights at the UN: Cuba scored a resounding Human Rights Council win in Geneva, with delegations backing the call to end the U.S. blockade as illegal and harmful. Urgent Child Malnutrition Appeal: An activist is seeking help for 4-month-old Melody, hospitalized in critical condition with severe malnutrition, after her mother is reportedly detained. Cuban Health Workers Abroad: The Bahamas has terminated contracts of 31 Cuban specialist teachers, as pressure on Cuban medical influence continues. Global Diplomacy Touchpoint: Cuba’s foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla arrived in New Delhi for the BRICS Summit, where leaders are pushing Global South cooperation.

Heart Health: A cardiologist shares seven autumn rules to protect your heart, including staying active (about 150 minutes weekly) and adding strength work. Cuba Healthcare Under Strain: Kidney patients from Maisí describe inhumane hemodialysis conditions in Baracoa—no electricity, unsafe water, poor food, and sleeping on floors. Hospital Water Crisis: Holguín’s main surgical hospital lacks potable water, forcing families to walk nearly a kilometer to fetch it. Emergency Care Delays: A family in Regla, Havana, says an ambulance took 56 minutes after a serious motorcycle crash, raising alarms about response times. Staffing and System Pressure: A surgeon in Ciego de Ávila says he was expelled from the hospital after being “released” from the health system, leaving him without pay and still seeing patients. Doctors’ Rights Lawsuit: Cuban doctors allege forced-labor conditions in Brazil’s Mais Médicos program and sue PAHO for $129M over withheld wages and oversight. Policy and Access: Cuba’s agriculture reforms publish new rules expanding usufruct and allowing broader participation in food production.

Dengue Watch (Las Tunas): Health authorities in Las Tunas say dengue risk remains active as dengue type 4 circulates, urging people to seek care fast for fever, joint or muscle pain, and headaches—especially children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with other illnesses. Care Access (Cuba’s home front): A Matanzas doctor, Griselda, has been without electricity for nearly three months while caring for her bedridden mother after pelvic fractures, highlighting how power failures can turn medical needs into daily emergencies. Healthcare Pressure (pay & retention): A viral video comparing a newly graduated doctor’s salary to prices sparked outrage, feeding wider concerns about medical exodus and resignations amid worsening economic strain. Health System Under Strain: Coverage also points to Cuba’s healthcare system “under siege,” with lives and staffing stress showing up behind the numbers. Private Sector & Pharma: Cuba’s private businesses are awaiting state approval for 36 pharmaceutical projects, while rules for how private pharmacies operate are also in focus. Public Health Response (workplaces & schools): Las Tunas is stepping up surveillance and workplace/school inspections to reduce mosquito breeding as the school year begins. Policy & Diplomacy: Cuba’s foreign ministry again denies ongoing negotiations with the U.S. as the blockade’s health impacts remain a central theme.

Mental Health Under Strain in Cuba: A new report highlights how daily economic pressure and U.S. energy embargo effects are pushing many Cubans to breaking point, with primary care doctors increasingly acting as de facto counselors as families lose hope. Pharma Access & Private Sector Rules: Cuba is still streamlining regulations for non-state pharmaceutical projects, with 36 proposals under review and none yet providing community pharmacy services to the public, while state pharmacies continue operating. Health System Under Siege: An embassy-linked account ties blackout risk to hospital care, describing life-or-death disruptions for newborns, surgeries, dialysis, and medicine supply chains. Regional Disease Watch: U.S. health surveillance reports 89 travel-associated chikungunya cases with no local spread so far, shifting the focus to traveler precautions and prompt reporting of fever and severe joint pain. Cuba in the News Beyond Health: Five Cuban workers were killed in a Miami cargo-jet crash while cleaning aircraft, underscoring ongoing workplace safety concerns for essential services.

Mental Health Under Strain: A new AP report shows Cuba’s daily crises—sweltering nights, water and power shortages, fuel limits, and weak signals—are pushing many people to breaking point, with doctors describing patients who “end up having to play psychologist.” Blockade Impacts Healthcare: A congressional “shadow hearing” on “Breaking the Blockade” heard testimony that sanctions and licensing barriers are worsening access to medicines and basic supplies, contributing to preventable deaths and rising infant mortality. Energy Crisis & Public Safety: Cuban authorities detained a young veterinarian from Fontanar after a peaceful protest over blackouts and lack of water, with reports of violent repression. Private Sector Legal Update: Cuba’s Council of State published revised rules formally incorporating private companies with more than 100 workers into the legal framework, expanding categories by employee size. Food & Livestock Regulation: The government approved updated procedures for slaughtering, consumption, and marketing of cattle and equine meat, including new options for people who fatten certain animals without owning land. Policy Debate: Razones de Cuba responded to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s comments on the energy crisis but avoided direct answers about hotel investments versus grid priorities. Regional Health Focus at BRICS: BRICS leaders’ summit in New Delhi is set to include health and disaster-reduction resilience among its priorities, with Cuba listed among partner countries.

Neonatal Care Upgrade in Holguín: Cuba’s Vladimir Ilich Lenin Teaching University Hospital is boosting survival odds for premature babies with specialized training in neonatal hemodynamics, including free monitoring tools like ultrasounds to track blood flow and organ health. Health Alert Amid Diarrheal Illness: The U.S. Embassy issued a health warning to Cuba after a significant rise in diarrheal illness, spotlighting ongoing public health strain. Weather Surveillance Strain: Cuba’s meteorological radars are reportedly offline around the clock and images are not loading on INSMET’s site, limiting real-time storm and hurricane monitoring during peak season. Power and Food Pressure: Cuba’s foreign minister renewed warnings that the U.S. blockade is damaging daily life, including fuel limits that worsen blackouts and disrupt essentials like sanitation and food safety. Solar Push in Guantánamo: Cuba inaugurated the El Algarrobo solar park, adding grid-connected renewable power to help ease energy shortages. Humanitarian Safety Concerns: Reports from Equatorial Guinea describe firearms used against U.S.-deported migrants, raising alarms about medical access and legal support for detainees. Cuba’s Legal Crackdown: Las Tunas sentenced eight political prisoners to 7–8 years, citing “propaganda against the constitutional order.”

Solar & Power: Cuba inaugurated the El Algarrobo photovoltaic solar park in Guantánamo, a 21.875 MWp project tied into the national grid, built by Cuban technicians after Chinese specialists left, aimed at easing energy strain. Waterborne Illness Alert: The U.S. Embassy in Havana issued a health alert after a significant rise in diarrheal illness linked to worsening water and energy infrastructure, urging extra caution with perishable foods, handwashing, hydration, and prompt care for severe symptoms. Blockade Impact on Daily Life: Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez called the U.S. blockade “collective punishment,” citing blackouts, spoiled food, and heat that disrupt family life, and arguing fuel restrictions worsen power outages. Food Safety Watch: As cyclosporiasis cases ease in the U.S., coverage highlights how lettuce can carry parasites and what people should know about leafy greens and protection. Healthcare Access & Pain Care: AFT Pharmaceuticals launched Combogesic® in the U.S., a non-opioid acetaminophen/ibuprofen combo for short-term mild-to-moderate acute pain, partnering with Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Marketplace. Migration Safety Concerns: Reuters reported Equatorial Guinea police pulled firearms on U.S.-deported migrants, with witnesses citing inadequate medical care and legal support gaps.

Embargo’s Health Toll: Cuba’s foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez says the U.S. blockade caused a record $8.083B loss from March 2025–Feb 2026, with power outages and diesel shortages disrupting operating rooms and life-support equipment, and he links the crisis to rising infant mortality. No U.S. Talks: Rodríguez also reiterated there are currently no negotiations or roadmaps with Washington, while Cuba says it remains willing to stay in contact. Public Health Alert: The U.S. Embassy in Havana issued a health warning about a rise in diarrheal illness tied to deteriorating water and energy infrastructure. Poverty and Food Strain: A human rights report says 94% of Cubans live in extreme poverty and 8 in 10 have skipped meals due to lack of food or money, with electricity and healthcare among top concerns. On-the-Ground Support: In Holguín, a restaurant owner provided free meals to doctors on duty at a municipal hospital during weekends. Healthcare Workforce Paperwork: Cuban medical workers lined up at the Ministry of Health to register for Electronic ID cards after being accepted to work in Guyana.

US-Cuba tensions and health fallout: Cuba’s foreign minister says there are no talks with the United States, blaming a “genocidal” blockade for $8.1B in 2025 losses and warning 2026 will bring sharper damage after an oil blockade that triggered days-long blackouts—conditions that directly threaten food safety, sleep, and basic care. Hospital sanitation spotlight: A new video from Camagüey’s Manuel Ascunce Domenech Teaching Clinical Surgical Hospital shows flooded, trash-filled surgery-room restrooms and worsening conditions reported over years, raising fresh alarms for patient safety and infection risk. Drought and water safety in Guantánamo: Authorities discussed alternative water sources beyond tank trucks, inspecting wells for safe consumption and pushing new well sites, while also addressing septic tank overflows and transformer deliveries to keep essential services running. Public health alert context: The US embassy issued a health alert for Cuba after a significant increase in diarrheal illness, underscoring how infrastructure strain and water access remain central to disease prevention. Child safety in storms: A lightning strike killed a 13-year-old in Las Tunas and injured two other minors, prompting renewed warnings about thunderstorm risks. Migration and health access pressure: A Cuba-linked deportation cohort arrived in Guyana under a US migration cooperation framework, adding uncertainty for people’s wellbeing during relocation and processing.

Public Health Alert: The U.S. Embassy in Cuba issued a warning after a significant rise in diarrheal illness, linking outbreaks to the worsening water and energy infrastructure and urging extra caution with perishable foods, handwashing, hydration, and prompt care for severe symptoms. Hospital Conditions: A new video from Camagüey’s Manuel Ascunce Domenech Teaching Clinical Surgical Hospital shows dirty, flooded surgery-room bathrooms and long-running sanitation problems, adding pressure on Cuba’s health system as surgeries have reportedly been disrupted by facility deterioration. Energy & Health Risks: Reports of blackouts lasting over 20 hours and ongoing water problems are fueling broader health concerns, with residents in Havana’s Fontanar neighborhood protesting electricity failures and police responding to demonstrations. Healthcare Access Abroad: An ex-Italian deputy, Alessandro Di Battista, underwent emergency surgery in Havana after a sudden health deterioration, with officials and family asking for discretion while transfer back to Italy remains uncertain. Violence & Community Safety: A femicide was confirmed in Nuevitas, Camagüey, and another killing was reported near El Cobre, underscoring ongoing risks that can quickly become health emergencies.

Public Health & Infrastructure: The U.S. embassy in Havana issued a health alert for Cuba, citing a spike in diarrheal illness linked to worsening water and electricity infrastructure, warning residents to be careful with perishable food storage and temperature control. Disease Watch: Isla de la Juventud officials admitted uneven solid-waste collection and flagged a worrying rise in dengue cases, as municipal delegates discussed waste service gaps and partial privatization of collection fees. Power & Living Conditions: In Havana’s Fontanar neighborhood, residents staged pot-banging protests and blocked a main road over blackouts lasting more than 20 hours, with police patrols moving in to contain the demonstrations. Health in the Spotlight: Former Cuban President Raúl Castro reappeared publicly at a military event after hospitalization rumors, while family members and state media pushed back on speculation about his condition. Medical Care Abroad (Cuba-linked): An ex-Italian deputy underwent emergency surgery in Havana after sudden deterioration, with transfer back to Italy pending stabilization. Policy Pressure: Reports say U.S. sanctions are intensifying economic strain, with Cuba increasingly dependent on fuel, vehicles, and medicines imported from the U.S. even as pressure grows.