Tag Archives: Chavez Has Cancer

Jul
18
2011
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In Case You Missed It… Venezuela’s Docs Flee — So Does Chávez

Venezuela’s Docs Flee — So Does Chávez
It’s no coincidence that the president has returned to Cuba for medical attention.

By Mary Anastasia O’Grady
The Wall Street Journal
July 18, 2011

If we are to believe Hugo Chávez, doctors have removed a cancerous tumor the size of a baseball from somewhere inside his body. The type of cancer he has and the stage of its advance remain a Venezuelan state secret, but it is likely that he is a very sick man.

This news, for a leader who is only 56 years old, might have elicited a wide sweep of public sympathy under different circumstances. Instead, Mr. Chávez’s first-class treatment in a Cuban medical facility from a Spanish doctor has served to elevate the resentment many Venezuelans have about the declining quality of health care in their country.

The scarcity of basic goods in Venezuela is well documented. Just last week, the Venezuelan daily El Universal reported that its own survey of six supermarkets and government-owned food outlets found that out of 16 price-regulated staples, at least 10 were scarce.

Admittedly this was a narrow survey, but it garnered attention because it confirmed the daily experience of millions of Venezuelans. No cooking oil of any variety could be found in the six stores, and this included soy oil, which is not subject to price controls. Regulated cuts of meat were not available in the supermarkets; no price-controlled cheeses were found anywhere; processed corn flour was available in only one store.

Producers know why this is happening. In June, the food processor Polar asked the government to raise the price cap on corn oil because of the high cost of “the imported raw material.” Other companies have made similar appeals. But the government has good reason to resist: The easy money policy of the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) has provoked the highest inflation in the region, even with price controls on many products. According to the Spanish-language news outlet Noticias Financieras, the BCV reported that the cost of personal-care products was up 30.5% in the 12 months ending June 30. Food and nonalcoholic beverages climbed 22.3% over the same period.

Yet it is in health care where Venezuelans are feeling the inflation pain most. Hospital services are up 39.7% year over year, doctor and paramedic services are up 21.5%, and the cost of medicines and medical equipment has risen 17.4%.

These cost increases refer, of course, to private clinics and goods that are not subject to price controls. Wherever prices can’t be raised, both quality and supply are deteriorating rapidly.

One needn’t be sick enough for a hospital to appreciate the problem. Venezuelans report shortages of everything from aspirin to cholesterol drugs, and it’s likely this has triggered hoarding, which has exacerbated the situation.

Most medicines sold in Venezuela, prescription or over-the-counter, are imported or contain imported materials. This means that the distributor has to pay the market rate in dollars to suppliers abroad. Obviously if the government sets the retail price below the cost for the importer, the transaction will create a loss.

Chávez-nomics has been even more devastating for doctors in the public hospitals. Dr. Douglas León Natera of the Venezuelan Medical Federation (FMV) told El Universal on June 16 that doctors earn a mere 2,600 bolivars (roughly $325 at the market exchange rate) monthly, and that even though hospitals have become targets of the country’s rising crime, the government has failed to provide protection for health-care staff. Doctors also cite scarce and low-quality resources and long hours. On June 30 the FMV called a strike to protest low pay and arduous working conditions. Last week Mr. Chávez offered them a 30% raise. They refused to yield. They are, however, continuing to treat urgent cases.

Pharmaceutical importers have been reluctant to complain publicly about their difficulties; large companies that offend Mr. Chávez can become targets of nationalization. It’s a bit more difficult to nationalize a doctor. A strike is just one option. Many of Venezuela’s best doctors have fled the country, which explains how it is, according to the FMV, that in public hospitals there are 130,000 patients waiting for surgery.

In its 2010 annual report, the ministry of health acknowledged the shortage of doctors, particularly in specialties such as anesthesiology, neonatal care, cardiovascular surgery, neurosurgery and child cardiology. Private hospitals are also deteriorating now as the poor turn up for care with government medical insurance, but the insurer doesn’t fulfill its obligation to pay.

The government has admitted that a large number of doctors have fled, but it says it’s not worried. More than 25,000 Venezuelan students are now enrolled in Venezuela’s new Bolivarian medical schools or in medical schools in Cuba. Unfortunately the curriculum is not public, and Venezuelans are worried that the students spend more time studying revolutionary politics than anatomy. Mr. Chávez seems to understand this, if nothing else. His surgeon hails from Spain.

 
Jul
14
2011
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After Chávez, the Deluge

DSC 0754 150x150 After Chávez, the Deluge

José R. Cárdenas served in several foreign policy positions during the George W. Bush administration (2004-2009), including on the National Security Council staff.  He is a consultant with Vision Americas in Washington, DC.

Hugo Chávez has finally divulged he is being treated for cancer, but — in typical secretive fashion — offered no significant details as to the prescribed treatment, or just what impact his medical condition will have on his ability to govern Venezuela. He has hinted at potentially needing chemotherapy, a treatment which will necessarily debilitate his ability to govern, and perhaps campaign for Venezuela’s 2012 presidential election.

Due to Chávez’s authoritarian nature, this translates into a power vacuum that has to be filled — who does so will determine Venezuela’s foreseeable future. The situation is compounded by the fact that Chávez has left his would-be successor a veritable time-bomb of growing domestic woes.

The fact that the Venezuelan strongman has presided over a faction-ridden regime is hardly surprising, given that his government is bereft of institutions and power is wielded arbitrarily. Those competing for power within Chavismo are not Boy Scouts but hardliners that can be counted on to act more like Mafia dons at war than accountable public officials managing a democratic succession.  (Remember, there are billions of dollars up for grabs here.)

The faction best positioned to govern in Chávez’s stead appears to be made up of those trusted by the Castro regime, which itself has an interest in keeping its economic lifeline alive and well. They include Vice President Elías Jaua and Foreign Minister Nicolás Maduro, both colorless but loyal apparatchiks to Chávez and Castro. Also in this group is Chávez’s older brother Adán, a former Venezuelan ambassador to Cuba with close ties to the Castro regime. Adán is charisma-challenged, but has the right bloodlines.

Backing this faction will be a rogues’ gallery of international stakeholders that have profited immensely from Chávez’s largesse over the years. They will advocate for maintaining the status quo — with or without Chávez — through the 2012 elections.  These include Russia, China, Iran, and, of course, Cuba, not to mention the ALBA countries that benefit from Venezuela’s petrodollars.

Another faction revolves around former Chavista officials who, for one reason or other, were removed from office by Chávez and would certainly be interested in regaining a measure of power with all its perks and privileges. They include National Assemblyman Diosdado Cabello (former Vice President), José Vicente Rangel (former Vice President), and Jesse Chacón (former Minister of the Presidency). These individuals, however, are not trusted by the Cubans because of their independent thinking. How the status quo faction deals with these individuals will define a post-Chávez Venezuela.  Will they once again be allowed a cut of the action, or will they continue to be marginalized?  If it’s the latter, hold on to your seats.

While the Cabello faction maintains strong ties to the military, the wild cards in this situation could be Minister of Defense General Henry Rangel Silva and Chief of Military Intelligence Hugo Carvajal. Both are Chavistas to the core but need to maintain low political profiles due to having been sanctioned by the United States for facilitating narcotics trafficking through Venezuela. That said, make no mistake about it, they both wield enough behind-the-scenes power to make or break Chávez’s successor.

What’s important to remember amidst all this cut-throat palace intrigue playing out over the next weeks and months in Venezuela is the increasing ungovernability of the country. In short, Chávez has left a mess. From the region’s highest inflation rate and electricity rationing to rising street crime and unsustainable spending programs, the current state of affairs in Venezuela is more than any consolidated government could handle, let alone one trying to piece itself together in the wake of such a polarizing leader as Hugo Chávez.

It is hard to tell what direction the Chavista rollercoaster will take next, but whatever it is, only one thing is certain – it is going to be a bumpy ride.

 
Jul
13
2011
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In Case You Missed It… Venezuela’s Chavez Expects Chemo or Radiation

Venezuela’s Chavez Expects Chemo or Radiation

Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Wednesday that he expects to undergo chemotherapy or radiation treatment once he recovers from his cancer surgery.

Chavez said he is now starting a second phase of treatment and expects a third phase “that could be a bit hard, which is to try to armor the body against these malignant cells.”

“It would most likely require the use of methods that are known … depending on the evolution and these follow-up diagnoses, but it could be radiation therapy or chemotherapy,” Chavez told state television in a phone call. Chavez said such treatment would be to “attack hard, with cavalry, any possibility, anything latent that might be there.” He did not say how soon such treatment might begin.

Chavez has said he underwent surgery in Cuba on June 20 to remove a cancerous tumor from his pelvic region. He hasn’t said what type of cancer is involved.

Chavez’s account on Wednesday was the first time he has referred to expecting to undergo chemotherapy or radiation treatment. He also provided new details about the surgery in Cuba.

He said it was a major operation that lasted about six hours and removed a tumor that was “encapsulated.”

“I had a big, big tumor,” Chavez said. “When I saw that image, I said, ‘My God, it’s a baseball.’”

Since his return to Caracas on July 4, the 56-year-old president has slowed his normally heavy agenda and has limited the length of his televised speeches, saying he is under strict orders from his doctors.

Chavez said Wednesday that he is recovering well, and suggested some of his foes hope he does not.

“I have cancer, but not in the way some would want,” Chavez said.

Without specifying where the cancer was detected, Chavez denied that his colon been cut as part of the operation. He said his treatment so far has turned out well, “thanks to God and to medical science, and to this body, which seems tougher than what I myself believed.”

The president attended Mass on Tuesday night, joining friends and aides in praying for his recovery.

Chavez, who is up for re-election in late 2012, has been actively posting messages on Twitter and has appeared on television in the past several days addressing troops, doing stretching exercises with aides and leading a Cabinet meeting.

Chavez, a former army paratroop commander, said his rehabilitation regime has required discipline, including waking up at 5 a.m. That is a significant change for a president who used to speak regularly late into the night while drinking cup after cup of coffee.

Chavez says his doctors have advised him to limit the length of his televised speeches, and he has kept his appearances much shorter than the hours-long events of the past.

At Tuesday’s Mass in Caracas’ Military Academy, Chavez led a brief prayer and then closed his eyes as he listened to a priest speak. The priest, Mario Moronta, said he would administer the sacrament of anointing the sick to Chavez.

“Oftentimes, when one goes to a house where there is a sick person or to a hospital, many people get scared because it used to be called extreme unction, when there was nothing more to be done,” the priest said. But he added that the sacrament is now seen as being “for the sick or elderly person to have strength … to beat the illness.”

Moronta, who is a friend of Chavez, explained the sacrament saying he would apply “the oil of strength” to the president.

“There is no need to be afraid. Six years ago they did it to me twice. I was more there than here, and look where I am,” Moronta said. “Sometimes I myself have seen people who have stood up from their sick bed in a moment of difficulty because it’s celebrated with faith.”

He made a cross in oil on Chavez’s forehead. Visibly moved, the president put his palms together and hugged the priest.

Chavez was once an altar boy, but has clashed in recent years with some Roman Catholic leaders in Venezuela, accusing them of lying about his government. Nevertheless, he says he remains a Christian and believes Jesus stood for principles similar to those of socialism.

Chavez also said in separate remarks to state television on Tuesday that he intends to remain in the presidency and accelerate his drive for socialism in Venezuela.