Opacity is at the origin of the pandemic that kills thousands of human lives around the planet. Censorship, persecution, and political manipulation prevented warning the society and timely tackling the worst health crisis in recent memory.
In the case of Venezuela, many information gaps prevent the population from knowing the true extent of the coronavirus. Furthermore, far from privileging spokesmanship from scientists and experts in the field of health, everything has been left to partisan voices who mix their reports with slogans and denunciations of alleged conspiracies.
These spokesmen offer statements when they deem it appropriate, but do not call press conferences so that the independent media can consult and contrast the official version. For this reason, Transparencia Venezuela (Transparency Venezuela) presents this questionnaire and requests the authorities to clear up doubts about the fight against the pandemic in the country.
Concerned about the health of Venezuelans, who already suffer the ravages of a Complex Humanitarian Emergency that is now deepening, Transparencia Venezuela recalls that in this case, opacity and silence can cost human lives and cause an unprecedented tragedy unprecedented for the Republic.
– How many tests are being performed per day?
– Given that there are PCR tests – Polymerase Chain Reaction – and Chinese rapid tests, clarify: What type of tests are being applied?
– How many samples are received and processed each day? How many of those results are reported and to whom are those cases reported?
– Why are private laboratories not authorized to carry out the diagnosis by PCR, but rapid tests are carried out in the communities? How are those results recorded?
– How many doctors, nurses, technicians, and health personnel are facing the pandemic in the country?
– How many cases do you estimate will be registered in the country and when would the peak of the pandemic occur in Venezuela?
– How does testing work outside of Caracas? How is it possible that some states register a single case?
– How much money was invested in the provision and conditioning of the “sentinel” hospitals to manage the emergency? Are these hospitals operating at full capacity? In particular, can you offer a balance of the situation of the hospitals in Coche, Lídice, El Algodonal, and Pérez de León 2?
– When will the authorities publish a list by parish and municipality specifying the centers where patients with symptoms should go?
– When will the authorities publish the epidemiological bulletin, as all countries do to report on the progress of the epidemics?
– What ethical principles apply when using medications such as the Cuban Interferon, which are not approved to treat the disease? Do they ask patients and family members to sign any authorization to do so?
– When will the authorities publish the list of available beds and fans for each of the country’s healthcare centers?
– Why are positive patients visited by the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin) and the Special Actions Forces (FAES), exposing them to criminalization and discrimination from their neighbors?
– If the authorities knew that the epidemic would come, why didn’t they promptly provide hospitals with protective equipment for staff and treatment for patients?
