Cuba Healthcare System Guide

Dial: 104 (ambulance — Asistencia al Turista) or 106 (police — PNR) or 105 (fire)

Typical response time: Havana: 15-25 minutes (Servimed-coordinated). Varadero, Cayo Coco, major resort areas: resort médico on-site, transfer to nearest Servimed clinic 20-60 minutes. Rural areas and eastern Cuba: potentially 1-2+ hours with limited resources.

Costs: Clínica Internacional Cira García (Havana): consultation €25-80, ER visit €50-200, hospitalisation €80-250/day. Resort médico visit: €20-60 (billed to room). Ambulance (Asistencia al Turista): €30-100. Blood tests/imaging at Servimed: €20-150 per test. Minor surgery: €200-800. Air evacuation to Miami/Mexico City: €8,000-25,000+. Full hospitalisation abroad for serious emergency: €50,000-200,000+.

Call 104 (Asistencia al Turista — tourist medical emergency line). For resort areas, call resort reception first — they coordinate Servimed ambulance. Clínica Internacional Cira García (Calle 20 No. 4101, Miramar, Havana; +53 7 204 2811) — open 24/7, best-equipped tourist hospital in Cuba, English and German-speaking staff. Cira García has its own pharmacy (Farmácia Internacional) with the most consistently stocked supply in the country. Varadero: Clínica Internacional Varadero (Calle 61 e/ 0 y 1, +53 45 66 7710). Cayo Coco and resort cays: clinics within resort areas, transfers to Santa Clara or Ciego de Ávila if needed. IMPORTANT: carry insurance documents at all times — Servimed facilities will ask for these at every encounter.

Tourists use Servimed network only. Three tiers: (1) Resort médico de guardia — on-site at all-inclusive hotels, immediate access, minor ailments only, billed to room. (2) Servimed polyclinic — nearby resorts/cities, walk-in or resort-arranged transfer, English-speaking. (3) Clínica Internacional Cira García (Havana) — full specialty care, laboratory, imaging, 24/7. No walk-in to regular Cuban polyclinics for tourists.

Typical wait: Resort médico: immediate. Servimed clinic: 15-45 minutes. Cira García Havana: 30-60 minutes.

Typical cost: Resort médico: €20-60. Servimed polyclinic: €25-80 consultation. Cira García specialty: €50-150. Dental (Servimed): €20-100 for basic procedures. Laboratory tests: €15-80 each.

Good in Havana (Cira García). Adequate in major resort areas (Varadero, Cayo Coco, Cayo Santa María, Holguín/Guardalavaca). Limited in eastern Cuba (Santiago de Cuba has some Servimed capacity). Thin in rural interior Cuba. The Servimed network was specifically designed to serve mass tourism — coverage is reasonable in the tourist corridor but drops sharply outside it.

Recommended: Routine vaccines (MMR, DTP, Polio, Flu), COVID-19, Hepatitis A (strongly recommended), Hepatitis B, Typhoid (strongly recommended), Rabies (pre-exposure for rural/outdoor activities)

Travel insurance is MANDATORY for entry — Cuban immigration checks and may turn travellers away without it. Cuba has very high domestic vaccination coverage — measles, rubella, polio, and hepatitis B are controlled. No malaria. Dengue present (main mosquito-borne risk) — use DEET repellent. Typhoid and hepatitis A recommended given food and water hygiene variability, particularly outside tourist hotels. Zika has been present historically — precautions recommended for pregnant travellers.

Insurance required for visa: yes

Public coverage for visitors: no

Tourist Card (not a visa) is required for most nationalities — purchased through airline or travel agent, not pre-filled on arrival. US citizens: Cuba travel is restricted under OFAC regulations — one of 12 licensed categories required (Support for Cuban People, Educational Activities, etc.). Direct tourist travel from the US remains illegal for US citizens. US bank cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) do not function in Cuba — bring sufficient cash in Euros, Canadian dollars, or British pounds. US dollar cash is accepted but exchanged with a 10% penalty at CADECA exchange offices. Cuba has no ATM network accessible to foreign cards. Insurance check at immigration: officers ask to see proof; some airlines sell insurance at check-in for precisely this reason.

Private GP visit: €25-80 at Servimed polyclinic. €50-150 at Cira García specialty. Resort médico: €20-60.

Emergency care without insurance: Servimed ER: €50-200. Hospitalisation: €80-250/day. Air evacuation to Miami: €10,000-25,000+. If uninsured, Servimed will demand payment upfront or hold passport — a documented practice.

Medication: CRITICAL: Cuba has severe, chronic medication shortages. This affects even the Farmácias Internacionales (tourist pharmacies). Bring ALL personal medications — prescription and OTC — in sufficient quantity for the entire trip plus a 5-day buffer. Items frequently unavailable even in Havana: common prescription medications, specific antihistamines, many OTC products, EpiPens, specific contraceptives. Farmácia Internacional at Cira García (Havana) has the most reliable stock in the country but is still highly variable. Do not arrive in Cuba counting on buying any specific medication.

Hours: Farmácia Internacional Cira García (Havana, 24/7) — most reliable. Resort farmacias: variable hours, thin stock. Regular Cuban farmacias (for residents): often empty shelves — not for tourist use. Servimed clinics dispense medications directly — but stock-dependent.

Over the counter: Very limited and unreliable, even at tourist pharmacies. Standard Western OTC items (ibuprofen, antihistamines, specific cold preparations) may or may not be available. Paracetamol and basic items sometimes available at resort farmacias. Bring everything: antihistamines, ibuprofen/paracetamol, antidiarrheals, antacids, motion sickness tablets, sunscreen, insect repellent, contraceptives, any specialist medications.

Controlled substances: Carry a detailed doctor's letter for ALL prescription medications, especially opioids, sleep aids, psychiatric medications, and strong pain relief. Keep all medications in original packaging. Cuban customs inspects medications on arrival. Cuban drug laws apply — possession of controlled substances without documentation is treated seriously.

• Travel insurance is MANDATORY for entry — Cuban immigration will turn you away without it. Some airlines sell basic policies at check-in specifically because of this requirement.
• Cuba has excellent, well-trained doctors but severe shortages of medications, equipment, bandages, and medical supplies. The doctor is brilliant; the pharmacy is empty.
• Tourists cannot use regular Cuban hospitals or polyclinics — legally directed to the Servimed parallel system, which charges in euros.
• US bank cards (all networks) do not work in Cuba. There are no ATMs accessible to foreign cards. Bring all the cash you need for the entire trip in Euros or Canadian dollars.
• Bring ALL personal medications. Even common OTC medications like specific antihistamines or ibuprofen brands may be unavailable. This is not standard travel advice — it is the consistent reality reported by every traveller and doctor working in Cuba.
• Air evacuation is the plan for serious medical emergencies. Miami is 45 minutes by air — medical evacuation to Florida is the standard protocol for serious cases. Without insurance, this costs $15,000-30,000+ from your own pocket.
• Cuba has no roaming agreements with most foreign mobile operators. International calls and data are extremely expensive. Buy a Cubacel SIM on arrival (passport required) for data access — Cuban internet is slow but functional.
• Dengue is the main infectious disease risk — use DEET repellent, especially in non-resort areas.

• Clínica Internacional Cira García, Havana (+53 7 204 2811, Calle 20 No. 4101, Miramar) — the best medical facility in Cuba for tourists. English and German speaking. 24/7. Has its own pharmacy.
• Travel insurance with medical evacuation: buy before departure. Confirm it covers Cuba explicitly (some US-based policies exclude Cuba). Insurance should include air ambulance to the US or Mexico.
• Cash strategy: bring sufficient Euros or Canadian dollars for the full trip. Change at CADECA exchange offices (airport or city branches) — better rate than hotels. Keep USD for last resort (10% penalty).
• Before departure: compile a list of all medications you take with generic names (not brand names) and doses — useful if you need to describe what you need to a Cuban doctor.
• Resort médico hours: ask on arrival what hours the doctor is available and what the after-hours procedure is. Not all resort médicos are available 24/7.
• Bring: DEET insect repellent (dengue), sunscreen (limited availability), oral rehydration salts (traveller's diarrhoea risk), antidiarrheal medication, antihistamines, your full prescription supply.
• Cubacel SIM: available at ETECSA offices (Havana, Varadero, Santiago) — requires passport. Nauta WiFi cards also available for hotel WiFi access. Internet speeds are slow by international standards.
• Varadero travellers: Clínica Internacional Varadero (Calle 61, +53 45 66 7710) handles most resort-area medical needs. More complex cases transferred to Havana.