AIDS and Venezuela: Money for tear gas, but not AIDS testing and drugs? Maduro's priorities

[GatoGordo]

AIDS Up Close
By Juan Carlos Gabaldón - July 7, 2017

"...Forget about donations. Every single donation must first be deposited in the Central Bank, then transferred to an account in bolívares at the phony official rate. They were used to cover tests for families who couldn’t afford them, and the development of public awareness campaigns.

“One time an institution sent us $200” Nora says. “After months of waiting, we talked to the Central Bank and they said the transfer was never made, even though we had the confirmation”.

The money "vanished".

Two weeks ago I met a newborn whose parents were both HIV+. No tests had been done and the preemptive medication was only available in tablets for adults. Doctors crushed the pills, dissolved them in water and gave the baby the dose with a syringe. Not the way it should be and, in medicine, when you don’t do things the way you should, they don’t work.

Gustavo is clear about the cause of the tragedy: Government’s mismanagement.

“People see the HIV program as a Chavista contribution to Venezuela, but that’s a misconception. It was in development many years before Chávez; Venezuela achieved important progress with HIV+ in the 90’s and the human component was key. The flaws we’re seeing are government’s negligence. Don’t tell me there’s no money for antiretrovirals when you just ordered new tear-gas canisters. Money is not the problem, priorities are...”

-snip-

https://www.caracaschronicles.com/2017/07/07/aids-up-close/

[DetlefK]

1. That's a basic problem with communism/socialism: Without accountability, corruption flourishes.

[Kalashamon]

2. The government gives no dollars for cancer treatments, diabetes, high tension...

High ranking officials are emptying the state coffers with fake imports while people die from very curable diseases.

Hospitals have no inputs. For this extremist, corrupt government prefers to import tear gas and armored vehicles in order to repress hungry people in the streets. No money for health, no money for education. Only the military nomenklatura and the PSUV millionaires flourish under this scam called "revolution".