Medical Federation questions distribution of U.S. medical aid in Venezuela

The Venezuelan Medical Federation (FMV) has expressed serious doubts regarding the distribution of 71 tons of medicines and medical supplies provided by the United States to Venezuela this year. Douglas León Natera, president of the FMV, stated that there is still no official information available to clarify how these crucial supplies were distributed or the exact quantities that reached public hospitals.

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We don't know if they were donated, purchased, or loaned, but the fact is they were delivered in two phases.

León Natera highlighted that the aid arrived in two phases and that the federation had concerns from the outset due to the lack of transparency in its handling. He noted that while the U.S. ambassador received the shipments, the nature of the donation, whether it was a gift, purchase, or loan, remains unclear. Following a communication sent by the FMV to the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires in Venezuela, John Barrett, some medications began appearing in Caracas hospitals, such as the Domingo Luciani and Miguel Pérez Carreño hospitals.

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Then we saw that, thank God, the Chargé d'Affaires, Mr. Barrett, read the communication, sided with the Medical Federation, and some medications appeared, a small batch of boxes in both the Domingo Luciani hospital and the Miguel Pérez Carreño hospital.

However, medical personnel have reportedly been denied access to storage facilities to verify the quantities of medicines held or to confirm if they represent a significant portion of the total aid received. This lack of access fuels the FMV's demand for transparency, especially given the persistent shortages faced by Venezuelan hospitals. León Natera described a reality where patients or their families are often required to purchase necessary medications outside the hospital due to a lack of supplies within the facilities.

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We see in the hospitals that there is nothing. In the hospitals, there are lists given by order of the management for the patient or family member to buy those medications outside the hospital because they are not available.

The FMV insists that this situation contrasts sharply with the volume of medical supplies that reportedly entered the country. Consequently, the federation urges the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to continue investigating the shipment and calls on Venezuelan authorities to provide detailed information about its distribution. The federation seeks to ascertain the final destination of the 71 tons of medication, emphasizing that opacity continues to shroud the process.

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We want to know the final destination of those 71 tons of medicines for which opacity continues to this day.