Cuba's health care system pushed to brink by US fuel blockade, minister says

Cuban officials say a U.S. fuel blockade is pushing Cuba’s health system toward collapse and putting lives at risk

HAVANA -- Cuba’s debilitated health care system has been pushed to the brink of collapse by the U.S. blockading the country’s oil supply, a Cuban official said Friday.

The country’s medical system was already perpetually crisis-stricken along with the island’s economy, with lack of supplies, staff and medicine long being the norm. But the turmoil has reached a new extreme in recent weeks. Ambulances are struggling to find fuel to respond to emergencies. Persistent outages have plagued deteriorated hospitals. Flights bringing vital supplies have been suspended as Cuba’s government says it’s now unable to refuel airplanes in its airports.

Experts and some leaders of other countries have warned that the island could be on the verge of a humanitarian crisis.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Cuba’s Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda said that U.S. sanctions are no longer just crippling the island's economy, they're threatening “basic human safety.”

“You cannot damage a state’s economy without affecting its inhabitants,” Portal said. “This situation could put lives at risk.”