The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, appointed Carlos Alvarado – former Vice Minister of Integral Health, as the new Minister of Health on June 25th. The new minister will replace Luis López in the midst of the South American country’s crisis due to the shortage of medicines. In this way, Alvarado will coordinate the working groups that Venezuela will maintain with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to purchase medicines from this international organization. The working scheme will be established in the coming weeks.

The agreement signed between Venezuela and PAHO in mid-June involves the acquisition of “all oncological treatment, for patients who have been transplanted and patients who require insulin.” The distribution of these drugs will be made according to a registry of cancer patients, which will be carried out nationwide through the 0-800-Salud-Ya program.

In this way, the Venezuelan government hopes to combat the lack of drugs, which  the Venezuelan Pharmaceutical Federation estimates to be between 85% and 100%. This lack of pharmaceutical supplies has caused a spike in protests from patients asking for a “humanitarian channel” for the entry of medicines into Venezuela.

¿Who is Carlos Alvarado?

Alvarado was dean of the University of Health Sciences “Hugo Chávez Frías” from April 2016 until 25th June. Previously, he was Vice Minister of Integral Health, within the Ministry of Health, and was also general director of the Foundation of Buildings and Hospital Equipment (Fundeeh).