Chavez Introduces New Venezuelan Health Minister and New Maternity Facilities
On Saturday Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez appointed Eugenia Sader as the new health minister and also inaugurated a range of new facilities and buildings aimed at providing high quality health care for pregnant women.
Merida, May 23rd, 2010 (Venezuelanalysis.com) – On Saturday Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez appointed Eugenia Sader as the new health minister and also inaugurated a range of new facilities and buildings aimed at providing high quality health care for pregnant women.
Chavez said Sader was replacing Luis Reyes Reyes, who is now running as a candidate in the upcoming national assembly elections. Eugenia was previously working has vice-minister of collective health networks in the ministry of health.
The president made the announcement while inaugurating a new building, “Negra Matea” in the maternity hospital Concepcion Palacios in Caracas.
The building, named after liberator Simon Bolivar’s governess, will conduct advanced studies that would normally be very unaffordable and only available in private clinics. Such studies will include high level ultrasounds, genetic studies, and testing on the foetus for illness or deformities.
Chavez explained that the building, which consists of four floors, 56 consultation rooms, and 82 assistance areas, had been begun before his government, in 1988, but that the current government finished it.
The building is part of the social mission “Baby Jesus” which aims at creating better conditions for pregnant women.
As part of the same event and using satellite television, Chavez also inaugurated a maternity ward in the general hospital, Dr Jose Ignacio Baldo, known as the “Algodonal”, in Caracas, and a small hospital for pregnant women in Anzoategui.
The government is also waging a campaign against under-age pregnancies, and Chavez said they have “activated” 7000 promoters to raise awareness around the issue.