Cuba's Health Ministry Creates Brigades Amid Energy Crisis

Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) has announced a package of drastic measures to sustain healthcare services amid the severe energy crisis affecting the country.

In-Person Staff Reductions

Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda explained that in-person staff at hospitals and clinics will be reduced with the objectives of:

• Decreasing mobility within medical institutions
• Reducing electricity consumption
• Prioritizing specialists who live closer to the facilities

“Without compromising essential services,” the minister clarified, noting that the strategy draws on experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mobile Medical Brigades

Among the key actions, MINSAP plans to form mobile medical brigades similar to those activated during hurricanes. These brigades will:

• Travel to communities where patients live
• Remain for set periods in the most underserved areas
• Aim to reduce the need for patients to travel to health centers

Healthcare professionals will temporarily shift from their regular duties to address problems at the municipal level.

Elective Surgery Suspension

The plan includes a significant reduction in elective surgical activity. Only the following will continue:

• Urgent surgeries
• Emergency operations
• Procedures that cannot be postponed

Portal Miranda explained this decision responds to the high electricity demand of operating rooms and the need to ensure safe conditions in intensive care and observation units.

Preparations for Water Crisis

On the epidemiological front, the minister announced an increase in sodium hypochlorite production anticipating potential difficulties accessing potable water.

“We know there may be problems with water supply and that the population may have to access unsafe water, so with hypochlorite they can chlorinate it”

Crisis Context

These measures are part of the Cuban government’s response to the energy crisis worsened by the lack of crude oil imports since December 2025. Deputy Prime Minister Óscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga acknowledged during the Mesa Redonda broadcast that “without sufficient fuel, we cannot maintain the levels we had been sustaining.”

The state has also announced it will facilitate procedures for private companies to import their own fuel and will distribute solar panels to essential workers, social centers, and banks.

Source: OnCubaNews