Venezuela Health Crisis

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The Venezuelan Health Crisis Socialism is an economic and political theory that calls for the means of production, distribution, and exchange to be regulated and owned by a community as a whole (Merriam- Webster, n.d.). Because Venezuela’s economy is socialistic, the government controls all aspects of healthcare. Venezuela’s healthcare continues to suffer, but in 2007, the country seemed to be moving in the right direction. Many people were donating to science departments in schools, which people hoped would benefit research. According to an anonymously submitted article, Venezuela was unexpectedly receiving more support than it could reasonably manage in areas of science (“Venezuela’s Way Ahead”, 2007). According to more recent articles, however, Venezuela’s healthcare has continued to decline due to lack of nutrition, supplies and staff, along with social unrest. Despite previous reports of Venezuelan healthcare improving, recent research has shown a pattern of worsening, which is supported by decrease in vaccinations given, lack of supplies for medical providers, inadequate nutrition, and street riots. Health Care Access Vaccination Use One of the major healthcare issues in Venezuela is the lack of vaccinations. Despite teams of health …show more content…

According to Fraser and Willer (2016), “About 17% said family members must provide food for patients, while 12% reported serving two meals a day or fewer.” Here we can see how not only is the healthcare itself subpar, but the hospitals can not even afford to feed their patients adequately. Though some of the hospitals serve food to their patients, the portions are very small and the hospital does not have the means to take special dietary needs into consideration. Many people in the country are malnourished due to food items being scarce and this leads to many additional health

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