Activist Leads Protest Demanding Better Care for Children with Serious Illnesses in Cuba
Diasniurka Salcedo Verdecia, an activist in Cuba, led a protest outside the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) in the heart of Havana’s Vedado. Standing alongside a group of mothers whose children suffer from serious pathologies, they demanded greater care and quality of life for these vulnerable minors.
“We are demanding that there be a better quality of life for all these vulnerable children who are not cared for by the dictatorship. All these children are dying because of a dictatorship,” said Salcedo Verdecia during the demonstration.
The protest took a complicated turn when some mothers, who traveled from Pinar del Río to join the group, were detained by officials near the MINSAP. Despite pressure from authorities to enter the building and discuss the matter, Diasniurka and the other mothers refused to do so until the detained mothers were released.
The demonstration highlighted the harrowing plight of many children in Cuba with serious illnesses, including Geobel Damir Ortiz Ramírez, a nine-year-old boy desperately in need of a humanitarian visa to undergo surgery for a tumor in his eye.
“Where are you, medical power,” demanded one of the mothers on Facebook, expressing frustration over the lack of access to necessary resources and treatments for her daughter’s cerebral palsy.
The protest is part of a growing movement in Cuba, as mothers of children with chronic illnesses demand better quality of life and question the government’s inaction in alleviating their situation. The plight of these children has raised a common voice, pleading for their health and well-being.
As Cuba’s health care system continues to grapple with scarcity and inefficiencies, these mothers are calling for greater attention on the challenges they face in providing care for their sick children. The protest serves as a powerful reminder of the urgent need for improved support and resources to ensure a better quality of life for these vulnerable children.