Processing medical diets in Cuba

The Consumer Registry Offices, better known as OFICODA, are the entities in charge of processing medical diets in Cuba.

Medical diets are assigned by the primary care physician of Public Health, that is, the doctor from the Medical Office of the health care area to which the consumer belongs.

Medical diets are assigned in Cuba to patients with various illnesses who require nutritional supplements. Patients such as those suffering from diabetes mellitus or high blood cholesterol levels, as well as the elderly, the sick, bedridden, or centenarians, as well as patients suffering from cancer, gastric ulcers, or HIV/AIDS, receive an additional food allowance through the food ration book, or ration book, as it is popularly known.

Medical diets are also assigned during the gestational period to pregnant women and children with special health needs (children with low body weight or food intolerances).
Patients on medical diets are assigned a food ration tailored to their illness. Patients with diabetes mellitus receive milk and beef; patients with high blood cholesterol receive milk and fish; centenarians and the elderly receive milk, chicken, beef, and root vegetables; cancer patients receive milk, chicken, beef, and root vegetables; patients with gastric ulcers receive milk and root vegetables; and HIV patients receive milk, chicken, beef, and root vegetables.

Consumers receive these food rations monthly in their respective warehouses or stalls (in the case of fish), which are the basic business units where food products delivered through the ration book in Cuba are sold.

The process for issuing a medical diet in Cuba is carried out at the OFICODA (National Institute of Statistics and Census) in the municipality to which the consumer belongs. For this process, the patient or their legal representative (in the case of elderly patients) must present the following to OFICODA:
Present the applicant's identity document
Bring the food product booklet
Submit Form 12 of the Medical Diet Affidavit, duly signed and stamped by the corresponding Public Health care center (Polyclinic).

Medical diets must be renewed within a set period, ranging from six months to one year depending on the individual's condition, except in the case of centenarians, whose diet is permanent and for life.

The process for renewing a medical diet in Cuba must also be completed at the OFICODA (National Institute of Statistics and Census) in the municipality to which the consumer resides. For this process, the patient or their legal representative (in the case of elderly patients) must submit the following to OFICODA:

Present the applicant's identity document
Bring the food product booklet
Submit Form 12 of the Medical Diet Affidavit, duly signed and stamped by the corresponding Public Health care center (Polyclinic).