Venezuela's Medical Exodus, A Result Of Its Contracting Economy, Spurs Fears Of National Health Cris

[Bacchus4.0]

http://www.ibtimes.com/venezuelas-medical-exodus-result-its-contracting-economy-spurs-fears-national-health-1885490

Venezuelans have long struggled with widespread shortages of goods, ranging from cooking oil to condoms. But they’re also facing a dwindling supply of medical professionals: Thousands of Venezuelan doctors have emigrated from the country in recent years, and some warn that it’s deepening a national healthcare crisis.

Around 13,000 doctors have left Venezuela since 2003, and the vacancies have gone unfilled, said Dr. Douglas León Natera, president of the Venezuelan Medical Federation, in an interview with a local radio station last week. It’s a sizable chunk of the medical community: The federation’s most recent census estimated there were about 70,000 Venezuelan physicians in the country in 2007, 25,000 of whom have died or retired since then, León Natera said. The South American nation's population is about 30.4 million.

--------------------

The outflow of doctors is part of a larger exodus of Venezuelan professionals, including engineers who once ran the country's sizable petroleum sector, who are able to market their skills elsewhere. Analysts warn that inflation could climb near 200 percent in 2015, while the International Monetary Fund projected a 7 percent contraction in the gross domestic product. Meanwhile, festering crime and hours of waiting in supermarket lines for scarce goods have weaved into Venezuelans' daily lives.

------------------
Last year, Venezuela also saw a resurgence of diseases that had long been eradicated. Malaria resurfaced for the first time in 50 years, and dengue fever cases rose nearly 50 percent in 2014 from the year before. The chikungunya virus, a similar mosquito-transmitted disease, also began spreading through the country.