I see people die every day.
There is no humanitarian crisis. There is not. I say this with full responsibility, there is not.
We have problems here, but this is in no way a humanitarian crisis.
They [the government] have the audacity to say it to our faces that nothing’s happening and there is no crisis,
but this is absolutely false.
Because while they keep denying everything,
many people are dying, many people are suffering.
In Venezuela today, hospitals throughout the country have run out of basic medicines and supplies.
In addition, severe shortages of food and other goods
have made it very difficult for many people to even feed their families.
People have to wait for hours in line to buy basic things
such as rice, flour, sugar, and toilet paper,
and many leave with nothing as limited stocks run out quickly.
Sometimes spending three days or the whole week waiting in line, sleeping on the street,
to get a number, in order to buy something, the next day.
after the 14 hours that I spent overnight here, maybe I’ll get 2kg of flour for my family,
The government says that there is no crisis, that nothing is going on?
The government should come and wait in line to see if that’s true.
many people rely on goods that price-controlled by the goverment
because they can’t afford to buy food at unregulated prices or on the black market.
By family size, if there are four people in your family, you have the right to buy a bag of government-regulated food.
But what’s in a bag of regulated goods?
One carton of milk, two boxes of pasta, three bags of flour and one can of condensed milk for one month.
The food situation, it’s the first time it’s like this.
Before we could eat bananas. Now not even bananas because they’re so expensive.
We have nothing for lunch for the children today.
We have to survive, and teach our children that there is no food today,
that they should wait tomorrow, the day after tomorrow. And this is painful.
Because I am old, but they just have started to live their lives…
The humanitarian situation has deteriorated dramatically in the last two years.
Infant mortality in 2016 was 45% higher than 2013
Maternal mortality was 79% higher in 2016 than in 2009
76% of hospitals reported shortages or complete lack of basic medicines.
, including many that are classified as Essential Medicines by the WHO
People have to buy the majority of supplies
because approximately 90% of medical and surgical supplies are lacking at this hospital.
It is very sad, the patient comes to the admission room,
and we have to give them a list of syringes, solutions, compresses, antibiotic, analgesics,
disposable baby diapers, clinical towels, sheets, with the basics,
because the only thing that the health institution provides is the bed, the mattress,
and the presence of doctors and nurses. Everything else has to bring
Patients with both acute and chronic conditions, such as cancer,
high blood pressure, diabetes, and epilepsy are often unable to get the medicines they need.
Venezuela’s Pharmaceutical Union estimates that 85% of medicines
are often unavailable in pharmacies
And on the black market, the few medicines that are available are extremely expensive,
and come with no quality guarantees.
At the beginning, things were normal,
we could go to the pharmacy and even to the laboratories in the hospitals and get help
But like I said, for nearly two years we’ve had to go around on a tour, of different pharmacies
to try and get insulin and the reactive strips.
And for the past year, we’ve had to resort to chain messages on WhatsApp or other social networks, like Twitter or Instagram,
in order to obtain the treatment.
There are many pharmacies close to me and at least four or five times a week I go there to check
But then the same people tell me, “No, nothing came, nothing came”.
Get me out of here, I beg you, dear mother!
In this psychiatric hospital, doctors said they had no choice but to lock patients up,
as they lack the means to provide treatment.
The first patient we lost was because we didn’t have oxygen to give him.
It’s painful to watch a patient dying and knowing what needs to be done,
but we can’t because we don’t have, our observation unit doesn’t have anything.
The government’s response has been to repress and retaliate against those who dare to speak out.
The report was essentially about the surgical ward.
And the document was presented to the public offices that oversee the constitutional right to health.
That is the channel I used as a Head of Service. But they responded by firing me.
Human Rights Watch documented dozens of cases where Venezuelans who publicly criticized
the government’s handling of the humanitarian crisis reported being subject to violence or intimidation by state agents.
At the time of the demonstration, we were protesting for food,
for electricity, for water, for everything that is required here.
What was his [the mayor’s] response? Police shooting at us, arresting us.
One officer hit me, and he said, "
"Grab all these AIDS-infested fucking bitches, [and] put them on the truck, we are taking them away."
When I arrived [at the food line] I saw my son and my wife on the ground,
and they [the police] were beating them and many others.
And [they put me] also in a patrol car.
And [I spent] 45 days in jail.
. I can't wait in line to buy a half a kilo of coffee or flour.
Because if there is another disturbance and I’m detained,
then things are going to be even worse for me.
In May 2016, the Secretary General of the Organization of American States,
Luis Almagro, presented a comprehensive report on the humanitarian crisis and abuses in Venezuela,
and called on OAS member states to evaluate if Venezuela is complying
with its democratic and human rights commitments under the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
They [the Organization of American States] can roll up the democratic charter tight,
and put it to better use, Mr Almagro. Put the democratic where it fits.
Venezuela has to be respected. And no one will impose any charter upon Venezuela
The Venezuelan government has failed to effectively address this profound humanitarian crisis,
and it has made only limited efforts to obtain international humanitarian assistance
that could alleviate the ongoing suffering of so many of its people.
It is critical that the international community, in particular the organization of American States,
press President Maduro to urgently take effective steps to end the medicine and food shortages,
and stop the repression against his critics.
There is no more time to waste.