Venezuela Asks UN For Help As Medicine Shortages Grow Severe

President Nicolas Maduro said he has asked the United Nations for help in dealing with Venezuela's medicine shortages, which have grown severe as the country stuggle with a crippling economic crisis.

"The United Nations has the most advanced and complete plans in the world to recover the pharmaceutical industry's production capacity and direct it toward medicines for the people," Maduro said Friday on state-run television.

Maduro did not elaborate on what kind of aid he was seeking, or whether the United Nations had agreed to help. The Venezuelan leader met Friday with Jessica Faieta, assistant administrator and director for the UN Development Program in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to state media.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro faces protests over shortages.

Maduro said he had asked for support to address a host of other shortages and issues his country was facing due to "the economic war and the fall in oil prices."

In the last few years, Venezuelans have struggled with food and medicine shortages as well as lack of basic products such as toilet paper.

Inflation in Venezuela rose to nearly 500% in 2016 and is expected to rise to a whopping 1,660% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.

This week's request is not the first time Venezuela has reached out to the United Nations. In December, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez met with UN representatives to address and extend cooperation for affordable prices in food and medicine in Venezuela.

But the situation continues to worsen.

 

 

The country is lacking roughly 80% of the basic medical supplies, according to the Pharmaceutical Federation of Venezuela.

Hundreds of health care workers and other Venezuelans staged protests this month demanding better access to medicine and health treatment. Many of the protesters brought prescriptions for medicines that they said they can't buy at local pharmacies.