Ramirez said in a conversation with Prensa Latina, “I happened to be on the island in April, and I saw firsthand how people were waiting for surgery.”

The siege against the country, which prevents oil from entering the island, and the new measures implemented since January 29 by the administration of US President Donald Trump are impacting all aspects of life, such as electricity, transportation, education, and health.

Official data state that one example of this is the doubling of the infant mortality rate, which went from 4.0 to 9.9 per 1,000 live births, and the reduction in the life expectancy of children with cancer from 85 to 65 percent.

The doctor said, “Much of this has to do with the fact that Cuba cannot buy medicines just anywhere because the companies are sanctioned, so those companies either do not sell the product or offer it at exorbitant prices that the country cannot afford.”

The group of graduates in Cuba concluded this weekend a fundraising campaign for the purchase of solar panels for hospitals.

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