The Cuban Yordanka Battle Moré denounced the harsh reality faced by diabetics in Cuba, where the lack of resources and the scarcity of basic foods aggravate an already complicated situation.
His 65-year-old aunt has spent almost half her life fighting diabetes, a battle that is constantly threatened by the difficult economic and health situation in the country.
Diabetes is a disease that requires rigorous care and a balanced diet, with at least six meals a day; however, in a country where resources are scarce and food prices skyrocket, maintaining an adequate diet becomes an impossible challenge for many.
“Sometimes he has an infusion of chamomile for breakfast and a crust of disgusting bread. Everything to be able to inject himself. Sometimes lunch is white rice and avocado, and lunch is the same rice, avocado but with a sausage,” Battle Moré wrote in his Facebook account.
The shortage of drugs and supplies is another problem her aunt faces, and when there are no syringes in the pharmacy, there is also no insulin available for diabetics.
“You can’t inject yourself because you ate badly, you decompensate, you get hyperglycemia, you have ketoacidosis, you go straight to Intensive Care and to our surprise you always survive,” he said.
The woman survives with a pension of 2,100.00 CUP, an insufficient amount in the midst of the scarcity and inflation that Cubans suffer, as a result of erroneous economic policies.
At the moment, according to Battle Moré, her aunt is suffering from an ulcer on her finger and at the polyclinic they told her that there is no HEBERPROT-Pa Cuban drug intended for the treatment of patients with ulcers of the diabetic foot in advanced stages and with high risk of amputation. There is also no gauze, antibiotics or alcohol.
“He already has a finger black as a coal. Nothing, gentleman! That this is the story of the good pipe,” he lamented.
in 2020 (the most current data) Cuba had a diabetes prevalence rate of 66.9 per thousand inhabitants, with Sancti Spíritus being the worst territory, according to data from the Ministry of Public Health.
It is estimated that diabetes affects 9.3% of the world population and approximately 62 million people in the Americas (422 million people worldwide) suffer from the disease, according to information from the Pan American Health Organization.
