Health · Healthcare & Policy · 12 hrs ago
Community medicine projects fill gaps as Cuba faces drug shortages
Volunteers in Havana are giving out donated medicines to people who request them through WhatsApp.
The project, called “Medicine Is Not for Sale,” is one of many community efforts helping people find drugs that state pharmacies often lack.
Cuba’s health system has long relied on state pharmacies to provide subsidized medicines.
The shortages have worsened amid the country’s economic crisis, import difficulties and U.S. restrictions.
Cuba’s health ministry lists 603 medicines in its basic program, but only slightly more than one-third are currently available.
Some medicines, including cancer treatments and drugs that need refrigeration, are especially hard to obtain.
In July, authorities approved rules allowing private pharmacies, and the government is reviewing proposals to open them.
Community medicine projects in Havana are helping people find drugs that are increasingly scarce in Cuba.
Laura Mendoza’s “Medicine Is Not for Sale” project distributes donated medicines for free to people who request them through WhatsApp.
Cuba’s Health Ministry says only slightly more than one-third of the 603 medicines on its basic drug list are currently available.
Authorities issued regulations in July allowing private pharmacies to operate, but those pharmacies have not yet opened.
Cuban officials cite shortages of imported materials, fuel and packaging, as well as difficulties making payments and shipping supplies.
- Who
- Laura Mendoza and other community medicine project volunteers are distributing medicines. Cubans seeking scarce drugs are among those they help.
- What
- Community projects are filling gaps in medicine supplies by distributing donated drugs, while Cuba has approved regulations for private pharmacies.
- When
- The AP article was published on October 11, 2026. Authorities issued the pharmacy regulations in July.
- Where
- Mendoza’s project operates in Havana’s Vedado neighborhood and has added a group in Guanabo.
- Why
- State pharmacies lack many medicines amid shortages of imported materials and other supply and logistical problems.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
We have five WhatsApp groups in Havana and recently added one in Guanabo
People don’t just rely on this main pharmacy. They help each other
medicines became much harder to find
not even the most capable factory can complete the cycle
Cuba’s Parliament approved a package of 176 economic measures to expand private enterprise and help address the economic crisis.
BioCubaFarma president Mayda Mauri Pérez said about 300 of the 395 medicines the company was expected to supply had not been produced because of imported-material shortages.
Cuban authorities issued regulations allowing private pharmacies to operate.
The AP published its report on community medicine projects and medicine shortages in Cuba.
- Basic drug list
- 603 medicines; slightly more than one-third are currently available
- BioCubaFarma
- About 300 of 395 expected medicines had not been produced, according to its president
- Community projects
- Mendoza estimates about 100 operate in Havana
- Donations
- Mendoza’s initiative receives more than 13 kilograms of medicine each week
- Ciego de Ávila
- State pharmacies had about 10% of medicines on the basic list, according to authorities
Sources
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