Harsh US Sanctions Push Cuba’s Healthcare System to Breaking Point

Cuba's healthcare system was once a paragon, held up as an example of what was possible in the developing world. But all that has changed. Harsh US sanctions, reimposed by the first Trump administration, are making it difficult, if not impossible, for healthcare workers to access the drugs and equipment they need. Although designed to apply political pressure to the communist government, in reality, the sanctions hurt civilians the most. The infant mortality rate is rising, and life expectancy is falling.

In Health Under Sanction, we speak with Cuban patients and healthcare workers who are struggling to get vital drugs and medical equipment – and look at the toll of the U.S. embargo inside Cuba's hospitals.

We reveal how Cuba's healthcare crisis has been fueled by “maximum pressure” U.S. sanctions, which were introduced under the first Trump administration and have been in place ever since.