“The President has returned to continue his medical treatment. The President’s time right now is not political,” Rodrigo Cabezas, a senior member of Chavez’s ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela said on state TV.
The fact that few other details have been divulged may be motivated by the Venezuelan constitution, which requires new presidential elections within 30 days if it is determined the president can no longer carry out his functions.
But one clue came via the Spanish paper ABC, which reported that the team of Russian and Cuban doctors treating Chavez has concluded nothing more can be done to stop the cancer and that the President’s treatment should now focus on “palliative care in this final phase”.
People who are getting better don't get palliative care. It's not good to wish suffering on anyone and I won't with Chavez. And for what it's worth, things aren't changing much in Venezuela right away. Consider this bit of droll reportage:
Nevertheless, Chavez’s government has shown itself capable of taking decisions in the President’s absence. Earlier this month it devalued the Bolivar and announced a corruption investigation of leading opposition figures.Devaluing the currency and going after political opponents? They've learned well.
2 comments:
Quick minor correction; palliative care is not exactly the same as hospice or end of life care, and can be used for those who will recover. Since Chavez's people say it is a "final" stage, though, it's pretty clear that this palliative care is end of life care.
And if they're right, may God have mercy on Mr. Chavez.
I appreciate the clarification — when I think of palliative care, I associate it with relieving the pain of either chronic or terminal illness. As you say, in this context it means that the medical team attending Chavez has given up on a cure.
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