Government assures that 98% of cancer diagnoses are made in the public system

Venezuela’s Minister of Science and Technology, Gabriela Jiménez, said on Friday that 98% of cancer-related diagnoses are made through the country’s public health system, although she did not specify whether hospital admissions, treatment or necessary surgical interventions are also carried out in the same centers.

According to a press release from the Vice Presidency of the Republic, Jiménez stated that a “digitalized system” will allow for the implementation of “more planned and effective policies for cancer diagnosis and treatment.”

“We want the epidemiological data to reside in Venezuela because it is data of Venezuelans. There is confidentiality, traceability, transparency, it must be auditable and it must respect the privacy of the patient,” said the minister.

However, the last publicly available epidemiological bulletin in Venezuela is dated 2016, despite the fact that these reports are mandatory to alert about diseases and their impact on the population.

Jiménez acknowledged the “heroic” work of health specialists, whom he considered “fundamental” in “the reconstruction of information for a national oncology plan.”

NGOs and health specialists have expressed concern about the “late” diagnosis of cancer in the country, as they claim that many public hospitals do not have imaging studies for early detection of tumors or even supplies to perform biopsies, which reduces the chances of curing the disease and forces patients to turn to the private system, as well as to publicly request donations to cover the expenses.