WikiLeaks Embassy cables reveal Venezuela's healthcare system collapsing

David Paulin: Some of Venezuela's public hospitals are closing. Others are ridden with crime. Many physicians are quitting medicine -- starting new careers in Venezuela or emigrating, upset at being paid a pittance or not at all. Medical supplies are in short supply.

A "confidential" US Embassy cable from Caracas, just released by WikiLeaks, says socialist Venezuela's health care system is in "disarray" -- and the poor are suffering the most. The document appears to be authentic. However, US officials have flatly refused to confirm the authenticity of any purloined documents published by WikiLeaks.

The Embassy cable released in December 2009 blames Venezuela's ongoing health care crisis squarely on President Hugo Chavez -- his Cuban-style health care initiatives and overall mismanagement and his politicization of the South American nation's health care system. Physicians perceived as being anti-Chavez are disciplined, while incompetent military officials are placed in charge of public hospitals.

Looking ahead, the 1,900-word document warns that Chavez may create more havoc by nationalizing Venezuela's private clinics. These provide high-quality US-style health care, something I experienced first-hand at the private Clínica de Caracas when I went there for routine care and for some stitches to my forehead after an accident at a local gym. I was a Caracas-based journalist for much of the 1990s, leaving Venezuela in 2000 to go to CNN in Atlanta.

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=99257

What is it in the US now? ... Something like 20%-25% with no access to health care (other than a bankruptcy producing ER visit), a majority of whom are children.

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A corrupt dicktater-for-life like Hugito should do this, and make even more loot for himself. :sarcasm:

Why not discuss the subject? You COULD research statistics to dispute it, or just say "BS". But it gets pretty boring to see the references to US this or US that. Geez, why are people so US-centric?

We've eliminated one system that Venezuela shouldn't model. The US's. That's progress on this issue.

So it was a useful post that Billy posted, after all. Right?

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trouble, unlike to health care system that serves the poor in Colombia, Honduras.

This post is about Venezuela, but why? Why not post about just how shitty things are in every Latin American country that isn't trying to improve the lot of the poor?

Come to think of it, I'll do that right now.

because that is what the article was about. You see, there are different newspapers that cover different countries, and occasionally they print articles about those countries without referencing the problems in every other country in the world.

Certain posters here do a great job of posting about the ills of Colombia, but never ever print anything bad about Venezuela, which leaves it to others of us to round up the information.

As you have acknowledge that health care in Venezuela is not perfect under Chavez, you are undoubtedly on thier shitlist already.

If we aren't going to use a baseline scale (based on comparative and relative outcomes elsewhere) then one can say anything. Like your crew does about Dr Castro's evil island of Cuba.

If we don't use any measurement scale (based on comparative and relative outcomes) then we could claim that Venezuela has the best health care system. We could say the same about anywhere.

But, if one were to compare national health care systems based on health care access and relative outcomes, then one can make reasonable determinations on the standing of Venezuela's system.

This is how determining treatment application is based (in reality based health care).

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I hope you do realize the technique is quite transparent, avoid discussing a particular topic when it hits close to home.

Venezuela does have, according to the government, the largest oil reserves in the world. It also has the largest natural gas reserves in the Western Hemisphere. And it has a fairly high per capita income thanks to the oil export stream. It also has a socialist populist government. So why is the health system in poor shape? That's the question one would ask if one were honestly trying to figure out how to improve things.