Foreign Minister Arreaza denounces media manipulation about the death of a Venezuelan child

As a false journalism and liar described the Foreign Minister of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Jorge Arreaza, the publication made by international media outlets which reviews the death of the third child who was waiting for a bone marrow transplant, and where the head of Venezuelan State, Nicolás Maduro Moros, is falsely acused to suspend PDVSA-Citgo’s social health program through which children, and adults with serious illnesses are treated. This information was disseminated through his Twitter account @jaarreaza, where the Venezuelan diplomat explained that the health program that was maintained with Italy was executed through Citgo, a state-owned company that was subject to the financial and economic blockade imposed by the United States to Venezuela, a fact that explains the retention of the funds destined to the medical care of these patients with chronic diseases such as leukemia. “The health program with Italy was executed through Citgo, confiscated by the United States. Venezuela sent the funds through PDVSA and they were retained in Novo Banco, Portugal, thanks to the sanctions and the criminal blockade”, he said. While the US government maintains the PDVSA-Citgo blockade, in Venezuela the lists of citizens who hope to benefit from the social health program grow. In parallel, patients who are in Italy have had their treatments suspended, as well as the planned schedule for a bone marrow transplant, and the high-cost specialized medicines. On April 25, from the headquarters of the UN, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister held a press conference to show with evidence how the US blockade affects the Venezuelans. The National Government made a public denounciation to the United Nations about the harmful effects of the blockade imposed by the administration of Donald Trump, an action that has harmed the Venezuelan people by inhibiting the access to essential products such as food, medicines, among others. “Already at the beginning of April we made a public denunciation in the United Nations responsibilizing the US government and shameless ‘Venezuelans’, who pray in Washington for the state’s finances to be blocked, for this delicate case”, he said last April 14, through a statement in which the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, denounced before the international community the criminal impact generated by the sanctions imposed on the State company Petróleos de Venezuela, SA (PDVSA) preventing the fulfillment of their humanitarian assistance programs for health cases of special difficulty for the Venezuelan population. Also, the Foreign Minister showed the images of the payment orders issued by Pdvsa to continue with the medical processes of the patients who are in Italy waiting to be transplanted, which could not be executed due to the economic blockade. “Once again we share some payment orders issued by PDVSA to transfer the resources and give continuity to the health program with Italy, as well as vouchers for the transactions rejected and canceled by Novo Banco. Those resources were repressed, blocked”, he said. Pdvsa-ATMO Agreement In May 2010, the State’s PDVSA signed an agreement with the Association for Bone Marrow Transplantation (ATMO) of Italy to execute an international health cooperation project in the field of oncology, hematology and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. With this agreement, the Venezuelan State assumed the necessary costs for the payment of treatments, medical services and maintenance during their stay abroad for this vulnerable population who requires a bone marrow transplant to save their lifes. However, the coercive measures adopted by the United States government against Venezuela have recently prevented PDVSA from transferring the amount of € 4,851,252 necessary to ensure medical attention and enjoyment of human rights to the beneficiaries of this humanitarian program. On three occasions, the European financial system through Novo Banco, based in Portugal, has refused to process the payment orders issued by PDVSA in favor of the Association for Bone Marrow Transplantation of Italy, due to the sanctions and threats imposed by the United States.