Venezuelan Red Cross receives medicine donated by Italy

A shipment of 70,200 medicines arrived Friday at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, in the state of La Guaira, as part of a donation sent by the Italian Red Cross to the Venezuelan Red Cross, according to the Ministry of the People's Power for Health (MPPS).

The medical supplies, which include broad-spectrum antibiotics such as amoxicillin with clavulanic acid and analgesics such as paracetamol, will be distributed immediately to public health centers across the country to reinforce care in the hospitalization and emergency areas of the humanitarian health network.

The official reception at the air terminal was led by the sectoral vice president for Science, Technology, Health and Eco-Socialism, Isabel Iturria, along with the president of the Venezuelan Red Cross, Luis Farías, and the vice minister for Resources, Technology and Regulation, Gerardo Briceño. During the event, authorities highlighted the bilateral solidarity agreements and the backing of the national executive following the institution's participation in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The arrival of these humanitarian supplies comes amid severe economic distortions that are eroding household purchasing power and the operating budgets of public hospitals. According to projections by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Venezuela's economy is recording annual inflation of 387.4% for 2026 and an estimate of 94.4% for 2027, after closing with rates of 337.5% in 2023, 49.4% in 2024 and 252.0% in 2025.

These inflationary pressures weaken the state health system's capacity to supply itself, so international cooperation and external supplies remain a fundamental support for ensuring the availability of high-demand drugs in the public network.