Even aspirin and similar products are unavailable. However, as resources have fallen, these free services have become practically worthless. For example, my maid's brother was hospitalized for a heart condition shortly before we left Cuba in 1998. An operation was scheduled, then repeatedly postponed because vital equipment had broken down. Special clinics and hospital wings are set aside for paying foreign clients.
Biotechnology is also a leading hard-currency earner for Cuba.
Perhaps it is feared that pent-up demand would quickly exhaust these hospitals' supplies, causing shortages for the privileged. This is why I had to bluff my way into Cira Garcia's pharmacy to buy medicine for my Cuban gardener. First of all, I must point out that my experiences in Cuba have by no means made me a supporter of the U.S. embargo. Undoubtedly, the embargo inflicts economic costs on Cuba, and thus on its people. According to the AAWH report, export license applications are discouraged, denied or stifled by bureaucracy.