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With production at rock bottom, the Cuban pharmacy network is unable to meet demand. / EFE[/caption]
14ymedio, Madrid, 4 September 2025 -- A five-year-old child died this Tuesday at the Carlos Juan Finlay polyclinic in Songo-La Maya (Santiago de Cuba) after ingesting a drug that also poisoned another child in the same home. The children had consumed 500 mg of paracetamol at home, according to the provincial Health Directorate , which emphasized that the medication was manufactured abroad and had expired in 2020.
According to information provided on social media by the Ministry of Health, the child arrived at the polyclinic on Tuesday morning with seizures, and although he received medical care and examination, nothing could be done to prevent his death. A conversation with family members revealed that another child, this one 11 years old, was experiencing similar symptoms, which is why he was transferred to the center.
"Due to the evident deterioration of his health and confirmation of his use of the aforementioned medication, diagnostic and therapeutic protocols were applied to compensate him and he was subsequently transferred to the Juan de la Cruz Martínez Maceira Children's Hospital in the provincial capital. He is currently in the Intensive Care Unit where he is currently recovered, stable, and under observation," the publication adds.
Authorities maintain that an investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of death. The amount ingested by the children to cause poisoning is unknown, although the expiration date was already very distant and could also be a factor in the cause of death. However, it is most likely that the medication was adulterated, according to health sources consulted by 14ymedio .
"The main problem with paracetamol is that it's hepatotoxic, affecting the liver, but that only applies to people who have been on treatment for a long time or who have liver problems. It would also be necessary to determine if the medication is actually paracetamol. It could be counterfeit," says a pharmacist.
[["Expiration cannot cause death," says a doctor consulted by this newspaper who agrees that, in high doses, the consumption of paracetamol can cause death.]]
"Expiration cannot cause death," says a doctor consulted by this newspaper, who agrees that, in high doses, paracetamol consumption can cause death. "Children should take 60 mg per kilo per day, divided into four or six doses, according to their weight," she adds.
Authorities have called for "reinforcing safety measures for handling pharmaceutical products at home" and point out that the incident should draw attention "to the importance of strengthening health education in communities and promoting safe access to medications under appropriate conditions." However, the reality is that the State has been unable to provide medications to families on a regular basis.
Dozens of people have commented on the Health Department's post, sharing their criticism of the department for this reason. "Politely, I know I shouldn't take just anything, so I go to a pharmacy and there's nothing. I have to buy it on the street, and God only knows where they get most of the medications sold in Cuba today, whether they're reliable or not. You're always driven crazy by everything. Every time I run into someone selling domestically produced medications, I buy them, even if I don't need them, just in case, and when we've gotten sick en masse at home, I leave them for my children," argues one woman, who asserts that health education may be lacking, "but what's left over is misery and decay in all the services provided to the Cuban people, even the most basic."
Other users have expressed their fear that this incident will serve as a catalyst for combating black market drugs, the risks consumers prefer to assume rather than the certainty of having nothing. "This is a sad event, given the precarious situation the people are experiencing, without medication in state-run pharmacies, and having to turn to private individuals who can solve the problem. I hope this incident isn't an excuse to ban these sales without the state's guarantee, because then the death toll will be even higher."
According to Public Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda, during the parliamentary session last July, Cuba has "only 30% availability of the basic medication list, while pharmacies barely have 32%." The active ingredient in paracetamol has been one of the products that authorities have reported as missing on several occasions, although many other times the inability to manufacture the blister packs is behind the shortage.
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