Good Samaritan law

First Aid & CPR Cuba

The Good Samaritan: compassion and protection

Drawn from the Bible (Luke 10:25-37), the parable of the Good Samaritan tells of a traveller left for dead who is rescued by a stranger that tends to him and sees to his care. Beyond its religious context, it carries a universal message: the moral duty to help others in danger, through compassion and altruism.

Inspired by this principle, many so-called Good Samaritan laws have been enacted around the world to protect those who assist in good faith during an emergency from legal action. The exact scope of that protection, however, varies from one jurisdiction to another: here is what the law applicable to your region provides.

Statute citation

Governing act Art. 362 of the Cuban Criminal Code (Law No. 151/2022, in force since 2022) — failure to render aid. Replaces the old Law 62/1987 scheme (arts. 275-278).
Scope of protection Any person who fails to rescue or render due aid to someone injured or exposed to a danger threatening their life, bodily integrity or health, so long as it entails no risk to the rescuer. Heightened duty for those obligated to help by reason of office or profession (e.g. health workers).
Duty to rescue Yes
Penalty for failure to assist Base (Art. 362.1): imprisonment of 6 months to 1 year, or a fine of 100 to 300 quotas, or both. Aggravated (Art. 362.2, duty by office/profession): imprisonment of 6 months to 2 years, or a fine of 200 to 500 quotas, or both.
AED liability protection No
Legal duty to rescue applies

Your protection under the law

In Cuba, the duty to rescue has been reaffirmed by the new Criminal Code (Law No. 151/2022, in force since 2022), whose Article 362 replaces the old Law 62/1987 scheme. It applies to anyone who fails to rescue or render due aid to a person who is injured or exposed to a danger threatening their life, bodily integrity or health, so long as it entails no risk to the rescuer. The duty is heightened for those who, by reason of office or profession — such as health workers — are especially bound to help.

Duty to rescue

In Cuba, the law plainly expects you to act: failure to render aid is punished, in its basic form, with six months to one year's imprisonment or a fine of 100 to 300 quotas (up to two years and 500 quotas where a duty arises from office or profession). Behind the rule lies a strong social conviction: no one should be left alone in danger when another can help without endangering themselves. Meeting that expectation begins with knowing how to help effectively.

Why training matters

In a cardiac arrest, every minute without resuscitation costs about 10% of the chance of survival. In Cuba, where a culture of health and mutual aid runs deep, the bystander who knows how to act carries that solidarity all the way into the gestures that save lives. Training in CPR and first aid joins intention to skill: being able — at home, at work or in the street — to hold the first link in the chain of survival. The knowledge you gain is not forgotten — and one day, it can change everything.