Amid the fuel shortage the country is facing, Las Tunas took a crucial step by inaugurating a charging station for ten electric vehicles used to transport hemodialysis patients to the provincial hospital.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- The measure, authorized by provincial authorities and the management of the Taxi Agency, aims to ensure a vital service through sustainable alternatives.

“This is a decision that was made at the national level in the initial phase,” explained Yamilet Infante Jorge, head of the entity’s Commercial Group. She elaborated that, given the impossibility of providing transportation through traditional means using gasoline-powered cars, “We are seeking alternative ways to carry out this urgent task, intending to reach as many patients as possible.”

The connection of the charging station to the National Electric System (SEN in Spanish) was authorized despite the energy consumption the fleet will entail. However, Infante Jorge noted that the project does not end there.

“The plan is that, when conditions permit, we will install a series of solar panels to help charge these electric vehicles,” which would allow them to be disconnected from the SEN and make the service completely self-sustaining using renewable energy.

For his part, Frank Alberto Fuentes Figueroa, the driver of one of the vehicles, did not hide his excitement. “Everyone knows how important this is—what it means for us as a specific service whose mission is to transport hemodialysis patients to the hospital,” he said. Fuentes Figueroa, who was selected through a public call for applications, stated that “we feel a healthy sense of pride” and that “that pride grows stronger with this inauguration.”

The driver pledged his full dedication to the task at hand: “Expect the best from us; let no one doubt that we will give our all, and that the service itself will reflect the commitment we’ve just expressed as drivers, ensuring everything is carried out with the efficiency and excellence it requires.”