Venezuela Guarantees Free Treatment for Serious Illnesses

Venezuela Guarantees Free Treatment for Serious Illnesses Caracas, Feb 24. – The Venezuelan Government guarantees free treatment for people with AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis and other disorders, even for the dozens of cycles some of them require, according to President of the Venezuelan Institute of Social Security Carlos Rotondaro.

He recalled that one of the first actions of the revolution in 1999 was assuming the commitment and responsibility to buy medicine needed for patients with these illnesses.

Besides using its own resources, the Executive signed agreements with Cuba, Portugal and Uruguay to get drugs, thus improving the quality of life of previously marginalized human beings, mainly the poorest, he told journalists.

He recalled that previous governments used to neglect the population, preventing nearly 650,000 Venezuelans from having access to expensive products to treat AIDS, cancer and other illnesses.

Only in 2010, at least 242,142 patients with cancer, 204,324 with immunology deficiency, 8,185 with anemia and 28,138 with transplants benefited from the more than 60 public drug distribution centers.

According to Rotondano, the government plans to continue improving conditions to treat those patients.(Prensa Latina)