Havana/Private medicine is still prohibited in Cuba, but offers of consultations, dental treatments and diagnostic tests are multiplying on social networks and classified advertising pages. From an abdominal ultrasound for $45 to a dental cleaning, individuals and businesses advertise services that legislation reserves for the state system.
One of the dental clinics that advertise on the Internet reports that it performs dental cleanings for between $20 and $30, depending on the patient’s condition, and that it places zirconia crowns for $300, with a ten-year warranty. The establishment does not have a public address, and when asked on WhatsApp, it avoids answering where it is located, beyond Central Havana.
In the platform RevolicHavana Dental Studio, located in the municipality of Plaza de la Revolución, in Havana, advertises implants, zirconia crowns, veneers and teeth whitening, although it does not publish its rates.
One of the most striking cases is that of Dalia Spa, in Camagüey, which published a catalog of consultations
Another ad, in Cerro, offers services “private dentist” with a reference price of $10. A similar offer appears in Diez de Octubre for $30, while in Arroyo Naranjo deep cleanings, extractions, fillings and reconstructions are promoted.
The announcements are not limited to the capital. One of the most striking cases is that of Dalia Spa, an establishment located in the Vista Hermosa neighborhood, in Camagüey, which published a catalog of internal medicine and cardiology consultations for 30 dollars, obstetric ultrasounds for 40 and comprehensive laboratory checkups for 105. The prices are expressed in foreign currency, while the salaries and pensions of Cubans are paid in pesos.
The business, located on 9th Street, between 8th and 10th, also advertises thyroid studies for $25, breast ultrasounds for $30, and cervical cytology for $80. Its offering includes gynecological procedures, such as the insertion of intrauterine devices for $25.
“The consultation is priceless, you give it the value,” says another ad.
According to reported CubaNet This Wednesday, a worker at the establishment assured that they had authorization to operate as a spa and perform certain dental services, while they processed other permits. However, when later contacted by WhatsApp, the business responded that the catalog was a “test” and that the services were not available.
In Sancti Spíritus, a publication published in the Facebook group Revolico Sancti Spíritus includes an even more detailed rate: eight dollars for a dental cleaning, 20 for cleaning and whitening, between 10 and 18 for a resin restoration and five for a revision without treatment. The advertiser, identified as Kenia Díaz, points out that payments are made in national currency and that attention is in shifts.
The offers go beyond stomatology. In Havana, an advertisement for home health care presents a professional identified as Doctor Carrión, a specialist in internal medicine, who offers personalized consultations and monitoring of chronic diseases. “The consultation is priceless, the value comes from you,” the advertising states.
In Cuba, health care is officially free, but patients must contend with medication shortages, corruption, and long waits for a medical consultation.
The proliferation of these proposals contrasts with the Government’s decision to keep medical practice closed to the non-state sector. He Decree 160 of 2026which updated the prohibited economic activities in July, preserved restrictions for medical and dental services, although it allowed new opportunities for private businesses in sectors such as pharmacy and energy.
The contradiction is especially visible in a country where health care is officially free, but patients must face shortages of medicines, materials and equipment, long waits to obtain a consultation and corruption that for years has turned barter and payments into a way to access services that should be guaranteed by the State.
This newspaper has documented on numerous occasions the bribes and clandestine payments in public hospitals. The difference with current offers is that some services are openly promoted on the Internet, with addresses, telephone numbers and, in certain cases, prices in dollars.
