October 13, 2026
The Spanish company Telstar, a subsidiary of the German Syntegon Group based in Terrassa, Barcelona, refused to sell a spare part for a freeze-dryer installed at the Frank País International Orthopedic Scientific Complex, located in Havana, Cuba. This facility is the world’s largest medical complex dedicated to orthopedics, trauma surgery, reconstructive medicine and musculoskeletal rehabilitation.
The equipment operates in the center’s tissue bank; its malfunction prevents the completion of the processing of bone allografts and porcine skin, vital supplies for complex surgeries and for the care of trauma patients.
With yet another one-sided and mendacious report on human trafficking, the U.S. State Department seeks to continue justifying that government’s aggressive policy against Cuba and its pathological persecution of Cuban medical cooperation.
The case was documented by Catalan sociologist Aníbal Garzón and researcher Alejandro Pedregal. Their investigation, broadcast by Cubainformación TV, reconstructs how a European company invoked alleged trade restrictions to refuse the sale of that part intended for the hospital’s tissue bank, which is dedicated to serving the public.
The refusal was not due to a technical problem with the part, but rather to the fact that the equipment it was meant to repair was destined for Cuba. What this reveals is the extraterritorial reach of the U.S. blockade on Cuba’s public health system.
The process began on August 26, when Pedregal initiated a lengthy exchange of technical forms and catalogs with the company—a procedure that appeared to be proceeding normally. Almost a month later, upon confirming that the final piece of equipment was in operation in Cuba, Telstar announced on September 24 that it could not proceed, claiming it lacked corporate authorization to do business with the island.
Not even an attempt to purchase the component personally in Europe managed to overcome the refusal; the company fears reprisals or losing access to the U.S. market. That calculation, which is not justified by any direct sanctions on the part itself, is precisely the objective of the pressure mechanism designed by Washington.
The corporate blockade stems from the extraterritorial nature of U.S. coercive measures, reinforced under the current sanctions framework. The Helms-Burton Act, enacted in 1996 punishes companies from third countries that maintain commercial ties with Cuba.
That is why a Barcelona-based firm decides not to sell a rubber gasket to a hospital in Havana, thousands of kilometers from the White House. Official figures illustrate the extent of the damage: Reports submitted by Cuba to the United Nations (UN) estimate losses in the health sector at more than $367 million in a single year.
Behind the bureaucratic and corporate barriers are dozens of patients awaiting orthopedic and surgical procedures. Their recovery—and in some cases, their life expectancy—is put on hold because of a single part that a European company refuses to sell for fear of U.S. sanctions.
The Frank País Orthopedic Scientific Complex is seeking alternatives to repair the freeze-dryer and restore the tissue bank. Meanwhile, this case illustrates how the blockade manifests itself in concrete terms: a rubber gasket, a form lacking corporate authorization, and a hospital on hold.
Source: Cubadebate, translation, Resumen Latinoamericano – English