Cuba’s power crisis is affecting hospital operations nationwide, with surgeries postponed and critical services under pressure, the director-general of the World Health Organization warned amid widespread outages caused by a sustained generation deficit.
“Health should be protected at all costs and never be at the mercy of geopolitics, energy blockades and power outages,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote Wednesday in a message posted on the social media platform X.
The WHO reported that hospitals are struggling to maintain key areas, such as emergency services and intensive care due to electricity cuts. Reports cited by the organization indicate that thousands of surgeries have been postponed over the past month, increasing risks for patients requiring continuous care.
Health should be protected at all costs and never be at the mercies of geopolitics, energy blockades and power outages.
The situation in #Cuba is deeply concerning as the country struggles to maintain health service delivery at a time of immense turbulence, leading to energy… pic.twitter.com/DF9uENDjjo— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) March 25, 2026
“Hospitals, clinics and ambulances in Cuba are needed now more than ever and must be supported to carry out their life-saving work,” he added.
The warning comes as Cuba’s power system remains under constant strain.
The country has faced rolling blackouts by region and, at times, nationwide outages since the weekend, and has recorded at least seven total power grid failures over the past 1 1/2 years.
The Electric Union forecast a deficit of 1,985 megawatts during peak hours Thursday, meaning the system will not be able to generate enough electricity to cover a large share of national demand and will need to maintain prolonged outages across different regions.
Outages reached 1,885 megawatts at peak consumption on Wednesday, according to an official report. This means the country had just over 1,000 megawatts available against demand that exceeds 3,000, a gap of nearly two-thirds that forced extended power cuts throughout the day and night.
#ApagonesCuba: la disponibilidad apenas alcanzará los 1045 MW en el pico nocturno, mientras que a esa hora el déficit se acercará a los 2000 MW, e incluso podría superarlos.https://t.co/Nx2zPiexAJ pic.twitter.com/Bn1TK8oF3M— OnCuba (@OnCuba) March 26, 2026
The imbalance between generation and demand is driven by breakdowns at thermoelectric plants, scheduled maintenance and a widespread fuel shortage that has taken a significant portion of distributed generation offline.
Recent reports and testimony from healthcare personnel indicate that hospitals have been forced to scale back surgeries, prioritizing only the most urgent cases amid power outages, supply shortages and difficult operating conditions.
Blackouts directly affect the functioning of medical equipment, emergency areas and intensive care units, and also compromise cold storage systems needed for medicines and vaccines.
The situation has also increased pressure on healthcare workers. Professionals report exhaustion from working under conditions marked by constant electricity disruptions, both in hospitals and at home, according to reports by TV Azteca.
This is compounded by an outflow of doctors from the public system, in a context of low wages and deteriorating working conditions.
Shortages also extend to access to medicines.
In a video shared on social media, Cuban citizen Camila Carballo showed a pharmacy with empty shelves, where only one state-regulated medication was available, reflecting the difficulty in accessing basic treatments.
Although authorities have attempted to stabilize the power system by restoring generation capacity, persistent structural failures, fuel shortages and economic strain continue to undermine essential services nationwide.
Addressing the crisis will require substantial financial investment, experts say.
A report by the U.S.-based research center Cuba Study Group estimates that the country needs at least $6.6 billion to restore its electricity generation capacity.
The study, prepared by economist Ricardo Torres, argues that recovery of the system depends not only on technical improvements, but also on economic and institutional conditions that allow sustained investment.
“There will be no sustainable solution to Cuba’s power problem without reforms that restore the country’s economic viability,” the report said, describing the energy crisis as “chronic” and “systemic,” characterized by recurring outages and progressive deterioration of the system.
