Venezuela: Cuban doctors not spared by the devastation of Covid-19

A member of the healthcare staff mobilized in Caracas in the face of Covid-19, June 23, 2020. Federico Parra / AFP

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

The health situation continues to worsen in Venezuela, where the bar of 52,000 cases of contamination has been exceeded, and according to official figures, 402 deaths have been recorded due to coronavirus.

But the opposition denounces underestimated figures.

The situation in hospitals remains critical, and with the lack of protective equipment, the number of infected doctors is increasing, including among Cuban doctors who have come as reinforcements.

Four of them died last week.

Publicity

Read more

With our correspondent in Cuba,

Leonel Batista was returning from the red zone in Trujillo state when he died after contracting the coronavirus.

He was only 28 years old, and he was only two months away from the end of his internationalist mission.

This Cuban is one of four health professionals who died last week from the coronavirus in

.

A total of 20,000

are present in this “ 

 ” country as part of the Barrio Adentro mission.

And in the coming weeks, a thousand more should arrive as reinforcements to fight against Covid-19, according to the Venezuelan Ministry of Health.

A high-risk mission in a country that is sorely lacking in resources in its hospitals and care centers, as well as in protective equipment.

Cuban state remains silent

According to the Venezuelan organization Medicos Unidos, 115 health professionals have died in the fight against the coronavirus.

Amnesty International denounces " 

 " in the country.

While the Cuban state recognizes the courage and dedication of those who go on mission and continues its campaign to obtain the Nobel Peace Prize for its doctors, the official press has not said a word about these four deaths, nor on the number of infected doctors in Venezuela.

► To read also: Doctors, the first source of foreign currency for Cuba

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Venezuela

• Cuba

• Coronavirus

• Health and medicine

On the same subject

Coronavirus: in Peru, Venezuelan doctors authorized to practice as reinforcements

Cuba wants its Covid-19 vaccine

Cuba

Doctors, Cuba's main source of foreign currency