Havana/The death of Héctor Ruiz Rodríguez, Hectic, exposes the violence and lack of infrastructure in hospitals on the Island. The 61-year-old man died this Monday in a hospital in Matanzas after remaining in “critical condition” since last Tuesday. “They hit him on the head with a stick to steal his motorcycle and all his belongings, leaving him seriously injured,” Christian Arbolaez account on their social networks.
“It hurts to think that a man who went out to work to earn an honest living has not been able to return home,” he added. Meanwhile, Yudith Rodríguez expressed her discomfort because “at dusk the police hide” which has increased insecurity. The absence of the authorities, he specified, “is not because of scarcity… it is because of fear. Crime is getting worse every day and they are on guard.”
Isairis Zamora regretted that “events like this remain blameless. Criminals know how easy the police are making it for them.” In addition, Santa Marta, which was one of the quietest places, “now every day there are unsolved criminal acts.”
On the day of the attack, Ruiz was alone in front of the Combinado, in Santa Marta, where electric tricycles and motorcycle taxis usually wait. “The other drivers had gone out to make trips” when they attacked, says Arbolaez.
On the day of the attack, Ruiz was alone in front of the Combinado, in Santa Marta, where electric tricycles and motorcycle taxis usually wait.
Hectico was rushed to the Cárdenas hospital, which is considered the main one. Matanzas has two large hospitals. However, at the scene, the man “did not even have an x-ray, because the equipment has not been working for months.” They kept Ruiz there until six in the afternoon, until they transferred him to another hospital. Since he was admitted, Arbolaez points out, his family members were informed that his condition was critical, so “he was intubated and kept on life support.”
Ruiz and his wife lived in Cabaiguán, but they moved to Santa Marta, to the apartment of their only son, who bears the same name. “They wanted to be closer to him and share this stage of their lives together. They never imagined that everything would end this way,” adds Arbolaez.
Ruiz’s remains were cremated in Matanzas, where his relatives were still carrying out the corresponding procedures.
Robberies with violence, murders, attacks on drivers and fatal attacks have prevailed on the Island. The Public Insecurity Report of the Cuban Citizen Audit Observatory (Ocac) documented 985 crimes between January and June 2026. Of them, “102 fatalities were recorded: 33 more deaths than in 2025, when there were 69. This is equivalent to an increase of 47.8%,” the document states.
Matanzas emerges as the main focus by occupying first place in murders for the first time and also leads in assaults.
Precisely in this province, Dr. Ailenys Pérez Cepero was the victim of an assault last August. According to Facebook, while she was traveling on a Mishozuki electric motorbike along the Juan Gualberto Gómez highway, she was intercepted by two people. The subjects took the vehicle, a gold chain, two rings, a purse with 2,000 Cuban pesos and personal documents. two months laterthe authorities handed over the motorized unit to the health company.
Last August the military deployment due to insecurity spread to Guanabacoa, including the points where testimonies to 14ymedio assaults have been reported. From early on, several soldiers were observed in the corner of La Cotorra Park and in the Amphitheater.
Although the operation generated suspicion among the residents of the area, wondering if it was to try to eradicate the increasingly frequent robberies or to repress the population.
