The epidemiological situation and the shortage of essential resources have put the public health sector’s operational systems in Las Tunas to the test. Amid these challenging times, local initiatives such as those in the municipality of "Amancio" are proving to be crucial in ensuring service delivery as the situation could worsen.

"Amancio", Las Tunas.- In 2025, as in other locations, "Amancio" faced a shortage of medical coverage, which primarily affected Primary Health Care (APS in Spanish) and posed a serious problem in the effort to reach all communities. Dr. Lienis Mercedes Calzada, head of the General Health Directorate in the region, led timely actions that succeeded in enhancing the situation.

The director notes that, in addition to the shortage of human resources and its negative impact on medical coverage, they were unable to fully staff PHC positions, despite the consolidation of medical clinics.

Similarly, they faced weaknesses in the basic work groups (GBT in Spanish) that impacted key programs, leading them to make staff adjustments. Moving forward, through sheer determination, Amancio maintained public health indicators above 90 percent despite the adversities.

“A daily review of the charge sheet was implemented, involving the polyclinic administration, medical care staff, GBT heads, and the Statistics Department. We sought to strengthen the entire work system, relying on the expertise of our professionals,” the doctor emphasizes.
“Moving forward, we conduct weekly analyses before the end of each ten days to identify issues and resolve them as quickly as possible. We were pleased to achieve accreditation for the Pediatrics specialty at the polyclinic, with three residents in training.

“At the same time, we established a partnership with the education sector to hold open houses and encourage interest in careers in medical sciences. We have increased the workforce by training nurses through basic technical courses.”

DAILY CHALLENGES

Confident that processes can be improved and the quality of care enhanced, the administration argues that maintaining strict standards and accountability is essential for achieving positive results.

“We have set out to strengthen the training of professionals within the municipality as a solution to the human resources shortage, as well as to establish new specialties (Anesthesiology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Internal Medicine, Intensive Care) by leveraging local potential.

She emphasized that they will continue with health campaigns and comprehensive visits to clinics: “...control and high standards give us the ability to achieve positive results.”