August 22, 2006
Venezuela inaugurates largest cardiological children's hospital in Latin America

(Venezuelanalysis.com) - "The 'Dr. Gilberto Rodríguez Ochoa' Latin American Cardiological Children's Hospital was inaugurated in the Montalbán neighborhood of Caracas, during Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez' weekly television show, Aló Presidente. Chávez says that the hospital is the largest of its kind in the world, where they will have the capacity to carry out 4,500 operations annually, and hope to save 1,000 lives per year.

According to las Ultimas Noticias, Venezuela has invested so far $107 million dollars in the infrastructure and $21.3 million in equipment for the 155,000 square meter facility. The Ministry of Communication reported that the facility will include a total of 142 beds, 33 intensive care beds, 4 surgery rooms, 30 consultation rooms and 82 rooms in the hospital residence.

According to the Venezuelan Ministry of Communications, eight out of every thousand newborns suffer from congenital cardiopathy, which is the second highest cause of infant mortality. In Venezuela 4,445 children are born annually with this problem and 70% require help. Approximately 2,750 Venezuelan children die annually as a result of the disease. Venezuela hopes that with this new hospital, they may be able to save 1,000 lives per year.

'Within three years we will be carrying out 4,800 interventions in the hospital, 2,000 for hemodinamy and 2,800 for surgery,' said doctor Isabel Iturria, President of the Dr. Gilberto Rodríguez Ochoa Latin American Cardiological Children's Hospital Foundation (...)

The Health Minister announced that the Cardiological hospital will be connected to the network of clinics and hospitals across Venezuela , including Barrio Adentro clinics, where patients will be referred to a Comprehensive Diagnostic Health Center and, once verified, on to the Cardiological hospital.

'The Cardiological [hospital] should be the epicenter of a great social communal organization,' said Chávez.

According to El Universal, it was announced that the hospital will additionally function as a school, where hundreds of undergraduate and graduate college students will receive training towards a variety of medical degrees and licenses (...)".