An NGO called Medicos por la Salud [Doctors for Health, MPS] announced today that at least 49 hospital patients have died while receiving care due to the frequent power outages that affect the country. The figure comes from a survey of the country’s hospitals of the period between November 15 of 2018 and January 15.
The following figures come from the same survey, which included 40 hospitals around the country:
- On average, every hospital in the country loses power once per day for 2.92 hours.
- 33% of all power outages affecting hospitals resulted in the death of at least one patient.
- The 49 patient deaths were concentrated to ten hospitals.
- 18% of hospitals reported damage to medical equipment as a result of power outages.
- Only 55% of hospitals have functioning back-up generators.
Julio Castro, a surgeon associated with the MPS, pointed out that no general hospital has been built in Venezuela in the last 30 years, and that the problems afflicting the institutions are due to failures at the government level, not “sabotage” as the Maduro regime often claims.
Deputy Guerra Expects +100% Inflation Rate for January
National Assembly deputy and economist Jose Guerra said today that he expects the inflation rate for January to top 100%, perpetuating the country’s hyperinflationary spiral.
According to Guerra, to blame are the recent salary increase as well as continued government spending, among other factors. These factors, Guerra said, will make Venezuela break the inflation record that it set last year. He said:
Clearly, inflation is going to be above 4,000,000% this year…
Guerra predicts that the Maduro regime will be forced to raise the minimum monthly salary at an average rate of once every two weeks in order to keep up with the inflation, a process that will exacerbate the situation.
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