Cuba’s doctors confront medicine and supply shortages along with power outages amid ongoing U.S. sanctions

November 1, 2026 / 7:45 PM EST / CBS News

Cuban doctors rushed a 2-month-old baby, dehydrated and suffering from malnutrition, to the intensive care unit.

He weighed less than 5 pounds and had been taken to William Soler Pediatric Hospital in Havana, Cuba, by protective services after being abandoned. After he was stabilized, the 2-month-old boy needed specialized formulas, many of which come from the United States, according to Dr. Alejandro Chong, head of the ICU.

"We have to make do with formulas made from malanga — a starchy root vegetable — and chicken," Chong said.

Doctors in Cuba make compromises like that on every shift. Just 90 miles from the U.S., Cuba has always imported much of what it needs — now new restrictions are making it harder to import food and medical supplies. Cuba has been under a trade embargo with the U.S. for decades, but now President Trump has tightened the vice, threatening to sanction those who do business with the Cuban regime. Washington says it does not intend to restrict food and medical supplies, but many foreign companies, fearful of U.S. penalties, won't sell them to Cuba.

Cuba's problems long predate the Trump administration's new…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/