My late husband, Roberto Molina Rivero, was a choreographer and dance poet. He was a dual national and type 1 diabetic. He died in Havana in February.
In January, I attempted to send insulin to Cuba because of the shortage of insulin. DHL failed to deliver this package, returning it with the words “US sanctions on Cuba” scrawled on the label. This matter is under investigation by the Department for International Trade. Medicines are exempt from the embargo. However, companies are reluctant to take medical goods to Cuba.
Cuba is in a parlous state: current demonstrations a mark of desperation (Editorial, 14 July). The government is in denial. Roberto was issued with a prescription for insulin. He went from pharmacy to pharmacy in Havana but could not find any. He died in hospital from diabetic ketoacidosis. The combination of the American sanctions on Cuba, Cuba’s mismanagement of scarce resources and the Covid-19 pandemic is a lethal brew.
Roberto would have hated to have been defined as the man who died from lack of insulin. Action is needed in Cuba, and internationally, to ensure that this is not the fate of many others.
Kathryn Riley
London
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