PROVEA says Health Ministry should declare a state of emergency

www.vheadline.com Posted: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

PROVEA human rights group has been reviewing the state of the right to health in Venezuela and paints a dismal picture. Medicine stocks and medicines in hospitals are at an all-time low, tenders to supply, maintain and update medical equipment are at a standstill, salaries payments have been placed on the backburner of several months ... there is a generalized suspension of surgical operations, and organ transplants.

The closure of medical consultations and critical drop in blood bank reserves, especially for HIV cases, have reduced hospital capacity to guarantee services, especially in emergency centers.

PROVEA admits that political and economic causes have had a negative influence but insists that it is up to the Health & Social Development (MSDS) Ministry to adopt appropriate measures to meet the crisis, whether by implementing extreme measures, such as declaring the sector in a state of emergency or intermediate measures to re-establish conditions for normal functioning throughout the entire health assistance system.

The group calls on the State to speed up dollar exchange red tape to purchase medicines and medical supplies, and to send decentralized State Governments money to pay off accumulated debts to health sector suppliers, as well as pending sector wages, salaries and benefits.

PROVEA calls on the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) to issue a ruling on a protection recourse introduced last year by the College of Caracas Medical Doctors asking for the removal of VAT on medical and dentist surgical and hospital services in private clinics.

The Ministry, PROVEA suggests, should convene  a table of dialogue between public sector health services representatives, social sectors and NGOs involved in health care aimed at setting up a consultation process to deal with problems facing the sector.