Cuba cancer clinic reports CT scan delays from equipment shortages

Patients at Cuba's main cancer clinic in Havana have waited nearly three weeks for CT scans needed to check whether cancer has spread. One patient who had breast-cancer surgery two years ago remains in bed while doctors seek to determine the cause of recent loss of mobility in her legs.

The clinic's only working CT scanner is located at the city's neurology hospital, where the current waitlist is long. Hospital staff have not stated when the scanner at the cancer clinic will be repaired or replaced.

Equipment and power constraints The article states that Cuba's health system faces shortages of electromedical parts and an ongoing energy crisis. A specialist in electromedical equipment was photographed working at a provincial workshop in Havana, but no schedule for restoring full scanner capacity was provided.

Access to care Cuba's health system was once described as a priority after the 1959 revolution. Current conditions have produced extended waits for routine diagnostic procedures at major facilities in the capital. No timeline for resolution of the scanner outage or changes to the waitlist was announced.