INoticias.CL | Trump’s Energy Blockade Impacts Cuban Hospitals: Cuba Berates «Genocidal Act» as Surgeries Are Performed Using Cell Phone Lights

Cuba has condemned the energy blockade implemented by US President Donald Trump, labeling it a «genocidal act» that severely impacts the living conditions of the population and especially affects hospitals on the island, where surgeries are conducted using cell phone lights to attend to patients.

«In the event of an electrical emergency or blackout, the entire unit disconnects completely. We are left in total darkness. Surgeries must continue because the procedure cannot be halted. We have had to continue operating using the light from cell phones,» stated Dr. Yudmila Rodríguez Verdecia, head of anesthesia and the obstetric operating room at a hospital in Havana.

Her testimony is part of a document included in a report sent to the Secretary-General of the United Nations following the resolution titled «Need to End the Economic, Commercial, and Financial Blockade Imposed by the United States Against Cuba», which was approved by a majority during the General Assembly of the international body on October 29, 2025.

The energy blockade, along with other measures intensifying the Washington blockade against the Latin American nation, is described in the text as a «genocidal act classified as a collective punishment against the Cuban population and a serious violation of International Law and Human Rights Law», which even qualifies as a violation of International Humanitarian Law, despite the absence of a conventional state of war between the US and Cuba.

Authorities warn that the damages stemming from the energy blockade in the healthcare sector directly threaten the lives of patients, highlighting its cruel and genocidal nature.

30 Continuous Hours Without Electricity

The document gathered statements from Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, who has denounced to the world that the island remains without access to electricity for more than 30 continuous hours due to the blockade imposed by Washington, creating an atmosphere of irritability, discomfort, deprivation, and distress among the population.

Additionally, he noted that as of late May 2026, approximately 1,400 MW of available power is not generating electricity due to a lack of fuel.

«The implementation of the energy blockade constitutes an aggravation of the persecution policy against fuel supplies to Cuba, initiated in July 2019, which included the illegal interception by US forces of oil supplies from Venezuela since late 2025,» the report stated.

As a result of this strategy enacted by the White House to incapacitate Cuba’s energy system, thermal generation in 2025 produced 7,789 GWH, reflecting a reduction of 1,046.6 GWH compared to 2024, when energy production through these technologies reached 8,836 GWh.

100,000 Patients on Waiting List

Among the impacts of the blockade on the Cuban healthcare sector are the following:

The surgical waiting list in the country has reached 100,000 patients, of which 12,000 are children. These numbers continue to rise daily as the national healthcare system is forced to postpone non-urgent surgeries to prioritize oncological and critical ones that are vital for saving lives.

According to the report, there are 2,888 patients reliant on hemodialysis treatments, services that require stable energy supply, which is currently very difficult to guarantee.

Infant mortality rates are equally concerning, having increased from 4 per thousand live births in 2018 to 9.9 in 2025, representing a 148% rise.

In the neonatology ward of a major obstetric hospital in Cuba, the lives of the most fragile newborns depend on an unstable electricity supply.

To illustrate this situation, the document includes the testimony of Dr. Niurka Moreno Obregón, head of service at this facility, who warned that each blackout forces an old generator to activate in under ten seconds, as many ventilators lack functional batteries. If ventilation is interrupted beyond that margin, it must be done manually, with uncertain outcomes.

According to the professional, like in «other 148 hospitals in the country, this center suffers from an «energy «suffocation» that impacts even delivery rooms.»

«The precarious conditions affect incubators, scales, and over 95% of the equipment, all dependent on energy,» she accused.

Deterioration in Cancer Survival Rates

According to the report, another indication of the genocidal nature of the blockade imposed by Trump against the island is the deterioration it has caused in cancer survival rates.

«The number of people dying from cancer in the country has significantly increased, already surpassing 70 deaths per day,» it stated.

Although Cuban survival rates remain higher than those of middle and low-income countries, and even exceed WHO targets, «these have declined in recent years,» and notably for children and youth, survival fell from 85% to 65%.

The document denounced that of the 395 medications that Cuba produces within its basic health framework, 300 are currently lacking due to difficulties in accessing raw materials and pharmaceutical supplies.

It also highlighted that between 300 and 400 Cuban children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer each year, with their lives depending on medications and specialized equipment that require power.

To support this unfortunate situation, the report included the testimony of Licet Rodríguez Alonso, who has been accompanying her son Diego’s oncological treatment for nearly four years after he was diagnosed with cancer at the age of fifteen.

«How can I not worry about the current situation?» she stated, recalling that Diego is undergoing radiation therapy, amid the energy access shortages affecting Cuba.

«How are they going to activate those machines? If the hospital shuts down, how will I continue Diego’s treatment?» she questioned.

La entrada Trump’s Energy Blockade Impacts Cuban Hospitals: Cuba Berates «Genocidal Act» as Surgeries Are Performed Using Cell Phone Lights se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.