Cuban Woman with Spinal Atrophy and Unborn Child Protests Medical Neglect and Denied Visa for Treatment Abroad

A Cuban woman, Mercy Olivera, who suffers from spinal muscular atrophy and is pregnant, is currently staging a peaceful protest outside the Ministry of Health in Havana. Olivera is demanding that the regime allow her to receive treatment abroad, as she has been denied a visa to travel to the United States.

Olivera is also asking for “food for the daily diet of diabetes”, as well as “the best conditions until her departure” from the country through a humanitarian visa. She claims that some doctors and nurses have mistreated and abused her, and is asking for justice and better quality of life, along with palliative medications for asthma, hydrocortisone, and albuterol.

“I am not going to buy or ask for it abroad, MINSAP touches you,” Olivera declared on her social networks, where she has been sharing live details of her protest. She stated that it is the responsibility of the authorities to guarantee them.

Olivera made it clear that she is not going to renounce her rights nor wait for her death. “Immediate solution, I want to see my son grow, I am not going to let myself die,” she said on Facebook. “I don’t believe in anything they say, I want facts. Solve the problem…the country has treatment for my underlying disease”, she pointed out.

The Cuban is demanding that the dictatorship take action on her situation and make it clear that she will not go to the emigrants to find the medicines she needs. “Exile does not have to give me anything, you are the ones responsible because I am a Cuban citizen and until today I live in Cuba,” she warned. “I am going to ask every foreigner I see in La Rampa in front of the MINSAP for a dollar to pay for a treatment that Cuba denies me.”

Olivera, who is pregnant, took the opportunity to make it clear that if anything happens to her during the protest, the regime would be responsible for it. “If anything happens to me, they are responsible,” she concluded.

Reactions from the Public

Many people have shown their support for Olivera on social media and are calling for the regime to take action on her situation. One user commented, “This is so heartbreaking. No one deserves to suffer like this, especially when it comes to basic human needs like healthcare. Sending prayers to Mercy and her family.”

Another user stated, “It’s a shame that the Cuban government is denying its own citizens the right to receive proper healthcare. Mercy deserves better, and I hope that she receives the treatment she needs as soon as possible.”

Conclusion

The story of Mercy Olivera highlights the ongoing healthcare crisis in Cuba and the suffering of many citizens who are denied access to proper medical treatment. Olivera’s peaceful protest outside the Ministry of Health in Havana is a reminder that the regime needs to take action on this issue and ensure that its citizens have access to the basic care they need.