In Táchira Hoarded Medication for Cancer Patients worth $ 113,980 and immense amounts of medical material
The Political Protector of Táchira State, Freddy Bernal, confirmed Wednesday night from Hospital “Patrocinio Peñuela Ruiz” Hospital in the city of San Cristóbal in Táchira, the discovery of medicines valued at $ 113,980, which were put up for sale illegally and could assist 400 cancer patients. Likewise, hundreds of boxes of medical materials were found, which, according to hospital center workers, were not given to patients but were put up for sale. “We have fired the person who held the position of director of the Social Security Hospital, for the amount of medicines and treatments seized in the warehouses of the health center,” said Bernal.
The website of the newspaper La Nación confirmed on Friday the arrest of Dr. Huber Zambrano Meneses, director of the Pañoncinio Peñuela Ruiz Hospital of the Venezuelan Institute of Social Security (IVSS) in Santa Teresa, for alleged corruption. It was made at the order of the Public Prosecutor’s Office 23. Other officials of that institution were also arrested, including the one in charge of the Hospital’s Pharmacy and two people who remained in the headquarters of the Zone 21 Command of the Bolivarian National Guard. The Nation also reported that officials of the Bolivarian National Guard took and inspected the kiosks located next to the Emergency area, detaining three people.
Bernal requested, on behalf of the people of Tachira, that an effort be made for the wise administration of the medicine so that everyone in need of medical services receives the helping hand of the revolution. He highlighted the fight against corruption and “the doctor who hides medicine from the people is a criminal and must pay with all the weight of the law”.
He was emphatic in attending equally to all patients, “when you see something irregular, report it with name and surname,” said Bernal. During the evaluation in the hospital center, Freddy Bernal was accompanied by Amelia Fressel, the sole health authority in the region.
Journalist Madelein García, of Telesur, described Bernal’s outrage at the entire deposits of supplies and medicines that had been discovered. “A corrupt person is as dangerous as an American marine, it is as dangerous as the threats of John Bolton or Donald Trump,” said Bernal.
2. Llegamos al hospital y nos encontramos a @FreddyBernal indignado con lo que se había descubierto, depósitos enteros de insumos y medicamentos “un corrupto es peor que un marine estadounidense o las amenazas de John Bolton o Donald Trump” pic.twitter.com/KSNJoyVwC4
— Madelein Garcia (@madeleintlSUR) February 14, 2019
Journalist García and her team visited the warehouses and found “supplies for at least 6 months”, as well as surgical medical supplies “that are needed for patients without reprieve: gloves, kits for operations, injectors and countless others” .
3. Y es que no es para menos la indignación de @FreddyBernal fuimos al depósito y hay insumos para 6 meses por lo menos, material médico quirúrgico que se los piden a los pacientes sin piedad guantes, kits para las operaciones, inyectadoras y pare de contar pic.twitter.com/9Odv4N384S
— Madelein Garcia (@madeleintlSUR) February 14, 2019
This is part of Madelein García’s report showing part of what was found.
4. Así contamos lo que grabamos ayer en el hospital del Seguro Social de #SanCristobal, veníamos de la frontera, trasnochados de acompañar el despliegue militar precisamente en las trochas por donde salen muchos productos de contrabando incluyendo medicinas pic.twitter.com/zr9Q2kmmNc
— Madelein Garcia (@madeleintlSUR) February 14, 2019
Garcia also showed another video with bells (equipment) used for chemotherapy treatments, valued at more than 1 million dollars, which had been there for 5 years. “I ask: who should follow up? Where are the people responsible for this?” said the journalist in her tweet.
5. Seguimos el recorrido nos conseguimos con unas campanas para hacer el tratamiento de las quimioterapias valoradas en más de 1 millón de $, están allí tiradas desde hace 5 años yo pregunto ¿quién debe hacer el seguimiento? ¿Dónde están los responsables? #SociedadDeComplices pic.twitter.com/jpRCW2zAyP
— Madelein Garcia (@madeleintlSUR) February 14, 2019
Dr. Alberto José González is the new director of the National Institute of Social Security in Táchira. He said he was outraged and that he has obtained many supplies in places where they should not be. He told the journalist Madelein García that the now dismissed director did not issue a final report to him, “no one knows where he is and we discovered everything when we made an inspection” .
6. Él es el Doctor Alberto José González el nuevo director del Instituto Nacional del Seguro Social en #Táchira “estoy indignado he conseguido muchos insumos” nos contó que el director destituido no le hizo acta de entrega, no aparece y descubrió todo al hacer una inspección pic.twitter.com/nMzS3RYG04
— Madelein Garcia (@madeleintlSUR) February 14, 2019
The journalist García showed the medicines found in the pharmacy area, one of the most critical points, where medicines were found that were always said to be out of stock, “there isn’t any”. They show a drug for cancer patients that, in Colombia, costs $ 3,000. “In Venezuela they are completely free,” but they were taking them to Colombia. They also showed large amounts of ursodeoxycholic acid, which was also said to be missing.
7. Seguimos ahora al área de farmacia uno de los puntos neurálgicos pic.twitter.com/aHCsWaZLab
— Madelein Garcia (@madeleintlSUR) February 14, 2019
One patient complained that they were denied a medication. A worker said that the doctor in charge, the regent of Pharmacy, Isabel Zambrano, is the only one who can authorize the medicines, and she denied them even to hospital workers. “She always says she is protected by Caracas.”
8. Estamos mostrando lo que ocurrió rigurosamente tal cual lo conseguimos en el recorrido una de las voces fue la de un paciente nos contó que le negaron un medicamento la doc encargada de farmacia Isabel Zambrano “nadie se puede meter con ella dice que está protegida por Caracas pic.twitter.com/DauMRs6jxF
— Madelein Garcia (@madeleintlSUR) February 14, 2019
Dr. Isabel Zambrano denied the accusations; She notes that the drugs are delivered as they arrive, that she is not responsible for the medical supplies, that the insulin just arrived two weeks ago. She had a face to face with the new director, which was recorded in this video.
9. Nos conseguimos a la Doctora Isabel Zambrano encargada de la farmacia dice que entrega los medicamentos como van llegando y tuvo un cara a cara a con nuevo director, así fue pic.twitter.com/x5rgRSs3eH
— Madelein Garcia (@madeleintlSUR) February 14, 2019
“There are already people in detention and the investigations are just beginning at the San Cristobal Social Security hospital. They tell us that in the adjacent area there are kiosks that sell medicines and supplies,” García said in another tweet.
Translated by JRE/EF
