5 reasons Cuba’s health system is in crisis and what it means for travel in 2024
- The island is facing its worst medical supply shortages in decades, with 90% of essential drugs unavailable and pharmacies running out of basics like aspirin and insulin, directly impacting both locals and visitors.
- Tourism is booming despite the crisis, with U.S. flights to Havana up 40% this year—but travelers are now being warned to pack full first-aid kits and avoid relying on local hospitals for minor ailments.
- Cuba’s brain drain is accelerating, as over 2,000 doctors and nurses have fled to the U.S. and Europe since 2023, leaving rural clinics understaffed and emergency rooms overwhelmed.
- New travel advisories from the EU and Canada urge tourists to purchase comprehensive medical evacuation insurance, as Cuba’s already strained system struggles with dengue fever outbreaks and rolling blackouts at hospitals.
- The government is pivoting to medical tourism as a cash cow, offering discounted surgeries to foreigners in premium private clinics—while locals line up for hours at public facilities without basic care.