Yesterday, 30 May 2026, we attended an important mediCuba-Europa meeting in Bellinzona, Switzerland, hosted by mediCuba-Suise with the participation of Prof Franco Cavalli.
The discussion focused on the very serious situation in Cuba, including the extreme difficulties facing the country, the decline in key health indicators, and the direct impact of the economic blockade, energy siege and escalating US military threats. Basic medicines are no longer available, only emergency surgeries are being undertaken and hospital staff are working in deteriorating conditions, all a direct result, and indeed the designed intention, of the US siege. At the same time, Cuba continues to inovate and has introduced world-leading and domestically produced vaccines against the four major cancer groups.
The meeting heard about the enormous resilience of the Cuban people, rooted in their unity, education, democratic structures, and supported by the solidarity of friendly nations and civil society groups around the world. Cubans understand that they struggle against US tyranny today to preserve the hard-won freedom of their children from a future of US neo-colonial slavery.
We also heard about the concrete solidarity work already being done in Europe and the need to continue supporting it. In the field of energy, the “Energy for Life” campaign is helping hospitals move toward solar power, and in Cuba there is now a growing number of health institutions with solar panels installed, helping protect services during power cuts. In fact, the broader solar effort has already reached an important scale nationally, with hospitals and other health institutions benefiting from photovoltaic systems that strengthen care and reduce pressure on the national grid. Hospitals assisted by mediCuba-Europa have already seen up to 50% of total electrical demand switched to solar power.
Another major campaign focus is cardiac care. Pacemakers supplied through mediCuba-Europa are already saving lives in Cuba, and the campaign has made this possible despite serious restrictions on access to the international pacemaker market, dominated by US manufacturers. The meeting also identified the need to procure stents and other essential medical devices which contain more than 10% of US-origin content, since Cuba’s health system continues to face shortages caused by total embargoes on such supplies. Manufacturers in Ireland and elsewhere produce some of these vital medical devices, but sales to Cuba are blocked by U.S. policy, making normal procurement impossible. That is why solidarity campaigns remain essential: they help close life-threatening gaps in the supply chain and give patients a chance to receive treatment they would otherwise miss.
Finally, we were encouraged by the fact that many people on the recent siege-busting ‘Convoy to Cuba’ were young people inspired by the Cuban Revolution. Their presence shows that solidarity is being renewed by a new generation, and that the commitment to Cuba’s unique health system centred on human dignity continues to grow.
