AMERICA/VENEZUELA - Venezuela Caritas: no response on medicines still blocked at customs

Tuesday, 29 November 2016 area crisis politics poverty

VENEZUELA

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Caracas (Agenzia Fides) - Still no response from the authorities to Caritas Venezuela on medicines sent from abroad to assist cases of emergencies. The director of Caritas Venezuela, Yaneth Marquez, yesterday said to Union Radio, that in August a load of drugs had arrived from Chile to meet the huge demand of the population. "We went to the Customs Regulation System and Border Taxes -Seniat- to ask for recommendations in order to have the appropriate permissions. Before the arrival of the cargo all the paperwork at the Ministry of Health had already be done, and also letters were sent to the Economy office and to the Vice President of the Republic, saying that this load was on its way, stating the characteristics of the drugs and even the containers in order to accelarate the permits for the procedures".
Marquez added that the Health Ministry had promised Caritas that it would get the permissions, but never got an answer. "The Church is very worried because the situation worsens, while the procedures of Seniat are becoming complicated, and we need a permit" she added.
Meanwhile Feliciano Reyna, President of the Solidarity Action Association, an NGO that has been working in the country since 1995, believes that if the government does not recognize the seriousness of the crisis, it will be very difficult for international aid to reach the places most in need. "We know that Caritas becomes the main ally to which anyone can think of to help Venezuela", she concluded.
(CE) (Agenzia Fides, 29/11/2016)