Cuba: an exhausted society on the brink of a humanitarian crisis

"Many sources say Cuba is on the brink of a humanitarian crisis. Alongside chronic shortages of fuel and electricity across the country, a succession of other crises has emerged in recent years: economic, transport, urban sanitation, education and health. Once held up as a global example of universal access to high-quality healthcare, Cuba now faces the risk of a series of unprecedented epidemics: chikungunya, dengue, zika, oropouche and yellow fever."

"After more than 60 years of economic embargo by the US the longest and one of the most draconian sanctions regimes in history Cuba is shaken. An exhausted society is watching its young people leave: independent demographers estimate that the population has fallen below 8 million, down from a peak of 11 million. Trapped in crisis and deprived of much of its most qualified workforce, the island has been left impoverished and largely abandoned by the international community."

Cuba has moved from intense global scrutiny to relative obscurity, becoming an undercovered Caribbean island. The country endures chronic shortages of fuel and electricity and a cascade of crises in the economy, transport, urban sanitation, education, and health. Past strengths in universal, high-quality healthcare are eroding as risks of chikungunya, dengue, zika, oropouche, and yellow fever increase. A more than 60-year US economic embargo has deeply shaken the nation. Independent demographers estimate the population has fallen below eight million from a peak of eleven million as young people emigrate. Qualified workforce losses and international abandonment have left the island impoverished and increasingly isolated.

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