The joy of the Santiago de Cuba authorities for rescuing Maikel Carlos Hechavarría Ferrer alive on Saturday was short-lived. The next day, Aris Arias Battlean official from the Provincial Health Directorate, reported that the 37-year-old man had died around 10 pm, hours after being found, very close to the Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca or Castillo del Morro.
the same official account had made details public of what at first they thought was an accidental fall: “Neighbors and the husband of a deceased aunt, upon seeing us, told us with complete certainty that it was an act of suicide, since Maikel Carlos is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.”
Similarly, Arias Batalla said that “this was corroborated by the mother, who is incapacitated (bedridden) and mentally damaged.”
The suicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants in Cuba went from 14, in 2017, to 16, last year
In the same post images of the rescue were attached, made with a whole display of forces: firefighters, paramedics, Cuban Red Cross, National Revolutionary Police and even Border Guards.
Similarly, it was reported that the young man was transferred to the Saturnino Lora Provincial Hospital, where he entered the operating room. “The citizen, despite the wounds, injuries and condition, collaborated with some data of interest both for the medical staff and for the authorities of the Ministry of the Interior (pain, discomfort, names and surnames)”.
Data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (Onei) itself indicate a rise in Cuba in the number of suicides the last year on record, although the government does not call them that, but deaths from “intentionally self-inflicted injuries”. Thus, the rate per 100,000 inhabitants went from 14, in 2017, to 16, last year.
Although the Island has the highest suicide rate on the continent, according to figures from the world Bank and other institutions, such as the Pan American Health Organizationthe official media rarely deal with the subject.
Nor do they often talk about the lack of medication and care for the mentally ill, with sometimes tragic consequences. This was the case of a resident of Víbora Park, in the Havana municipality of Arroyo Naranjo, who in July 2021 killed four people and committed suicide.
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