Hugo undergoes surgery in Havana

[rabs]

I predict that our resident trolls will have a merry time with this news. (Pelvis, abscess, pus, knee etc.)

Too bad for them though, the operation was a success, thanks to the Cuban health system.

-------------------


Hugo and his crutch -- for the knee injury suffered last month


CARACAS, (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had a successful operation on Friday in Cuba for an abscess in the pelvis discovered on the last stage of this week’s tour around Latin America, his government said.

The usually fit and sports-loving Chavez had been out of the limelight for several weeks, due to a knee injury, before visiting Brazil, Ecuador and Cuba.

“With his knee injury almost totally better, President Chavez suffered a new health problem, which was immediately assessed by his medical team,” said a statement by the Venezuelan government read on state TV.

Chavez, 56, will stay on in Cuba for a few days until he is in a condition to return, the statement said, emphasizing the Venezuelan leader’s gratitude to President Raul Castro, his brother Fidel, and the Cuban health system, for the support.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ snip ~~~~~~~~~~~~

His disappearance from the public eye, during his knee injury, fueled speculation in Venezuelan opposition and media circles that he may have a worse medical problem, and the operation in Cuba is bound to spur more rumors.

[Bacchus39]

1. and what about the Venezuelan health system??? hahaha

A pelvic abscess is an accumulation of pus that can have various causes, including infection or complications from surgery.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110611/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_venezuela_chavez#mwpphu-container

the message board is great.

[Bacchus39]

2. read the comments from el Universal from Venezuelans

http://eluniversal.com/2011/06/10/operan-al-presidente-chavez-en-cuba.shtml

Chávez se fué a operar a cuba, en desconfianza del sistema de salud venezolano que él mismo dice tener como tazita de plata !

Que desprecio tan grande por la medicina venezolana, definitivamente este no quiere a su pais.

La verdad que rara vez soy critico de las acciones del pdte. Pero un buen lider debe dirigir por ejemplo. Como vas a decirle a la gente que el gobierno que diriges provee buena atencion medica a los Venezolanos si tu como lider vas y te operas afuera?

pues estoy de acuerdo con Carlos MENDEZ, esta noticia es una bofetada a los medicos del pais!!!

Pues yo ME QUEDO CON MIS MEDICOS VENEZOLANOS!!!! para ser presidente de un pais HAY QUE QUERERLO!!!

El magnanimo lider no confia en los servicios sanitarios de la gloriosa republica bolivariana, por eso se va a Cuba esto es otra prueba de el desarrollo que el pais esta experimentando.

guauu, que apoyo al sistema de salud venezolano se va a Cuba a operarse.



must be alot of trolls there.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Good to hear he's recuperating. He does seem basically strong, and healthy.

It was a good idea to have his surgery done in Cuba. He can be sure ALL the doctors there would be deeply invested in his complete recovery.

Thanks for posting the news on this event. I'll bet he'll bounce right back. Recommend.

On edit:

My rec. was swiped in advance. There was an unrec., apparently, which didn't register before my rec. to your thread.

That's fine. We're going to always be able to work around this crap.

[Bacchus39]

4. it was a terrible idea, it shows he has no faith in the Venezuelan system

what message does that send to Venezuelans? what a horrible example to set to his countrymen.

[joshcryer]

21. It's telling.

[roody]

5. My rec was swiped also.

[rabs]

6. I look at un-recs

as having gotten under the skin of you-know-who. :rofl:

Noted my thread in LBN was locked because made reference to "chavez bashers," which is kinda strange because that is precisely what the anti-chavez people in LBN are.

I knew that people would show up quoting el nacional and el universal about Chavez being operated on in Cuba.

It was an emergency that developed during his days-long trip to Brazil, Ecuador, and Cuba. That trip had been postponed last month after he blew out his knee jogging.

He just happened to be in Cuba when the conditions was discovered. Had he been in Caracas, he probably would have had the surgery there.

[EFerrari]

7. Just seeng the name "Chavez" drives some people crazy.

It's bizarre. lol

[Bacchus39]

8. no, he doesn't trust his own people, its obvious. n/t

nn

[dipsydoodle]

9. Dream on.

.

[joshcryer]

20. +1

It's obvious because that sentiment is reflected here by pro-Chavez people.

[dipsydoodle]

10. Didn't pass without notice.

:hi:

Odd really considering "bashers" is non specific. Same happens to me when I mention "The Libyan Rebels Supporters Club" or words to that effect.......... of approx seven people.

[Peace Patriot]

11. That's an important bit of info, rabs--that he was IN Cuba when he was hit with an EMERGENCY

medical condition requiring immediate surgery. I'd like to get clear if any of these corpo-fascist 'news' article included that fact, that he was IN Cuba when it happened, and this is, of course, WHY he had the operations in Cuba. Was this deliberately left vague or left out, so as to cue in trolls to immediately jump into bogs and comment sections and say, "Ha-ha! He doesn't trust the Venezuelan medical system!"

This is, of course, a RW/corpo-fascist "talking point," contrived since the Chavez government began providing free health care for the poor. The corporate "talking point" framers and their compliant press and the lunatic right have to claim that including the poor degrades the medical system, and have been telling this lie about EVERY socialized medical system that threatens to give the people of the U.S. any ideas about their human right to medical care. I remember it LONG AGO, in my childhood, when the Canadian and English health care systems were called "communist" and were disdained (lied about) as "inferior"--way back in the 1950s/1960s! It was total corporate propaganda then, and it is now. Socialized health care is the BEST health care IN THE WORLD. I learned a bit about this first hand when I was privileged to visit Scandinavia in the 1970s and someone I was traveling with had need of a doctor. INSTANT doctor provided in a YOUTH HOSTEL--NO CHARGE!!!!!!!!! I was amazed. I thought for sure we'd be charged to the hilt as American tourists. "Home visit" to the hostel, medical aid provided by a physician, in person, NO CHARGE. And this is just one tiny example of what health care is all about and how it should be run, and how it IS run throughout the civilized world--of which the U.S. is not a member on this matter. We are talking about a SACRED profession that goes back to Hippocrates and is the most fundamental humanitarian action of them all--caring for the sick. It should have nothing whatever to do with the profit of insurance or pharmaceutical corporations or any profiteering by anybody!

Anyway, It appears to me that these corpo-fascist articles are omitting or fuzzying over the REASON that Chavez had this operation in Cuba, and I've seen their lies and distortions too often not be suspicious of these articles. Can I ask: Where did you get the info that Chavez was traveling in Cuba when his emergency medical situation arose?

[Bacchus39]

12. yeah, your question at the end. that's what I want to know.

could you imagine if Obama went to Canada to remove an abscess???

[Peace Patriot]

22. The U.S. prez is not really comparable, but, yes, depending on the circumstances--of course!

God knows what they've got on AF-1 these days--it wouldn't be surprised me if it has a little hospital complete with surgeon and surgeon's assistance--but, if the U.S. prez was in medical trouble and a Canadian hospital and/or doctor was closer or U.S. help was not available or not easy to get to, and/or if flight stress is not advisable, and/or if TIME is a factor in the medical condition, OF COURSE I can imagine a Canadian hospital or doctor treating him.

But non-imperial presidential jets simply don't have the facilities that AF-1 likely has, and about the last thing you want to do is to subject an emergency medical patient to the stresses of flight if it can be avoided. In fact, it's hard to think of a more foolish medical decision than unnecessarily whisking a president (or anybody else) with a serious medical problem through traffic to an airport, through an airport into a plane--which may or may not be able to take off, depending on readiness and weather, and may not be able to land where it intends, depending on events in the air and on the ground and on weather conditions--for a flight with no hospital facilities on board, and with the patient meanwhile in stress from all this motion, from anxiety, from cabin pressurization, from weather buffeting--then, at the end, more rushing about and jostling, stress and anxiety, all the while with whatever medical personnel are available on a non-imperial presidential staff trying to keep the patient stable, and even treat him if needed, amidst all this movement and rush. To do such a thing merely to return a president to his national soil would be a violation of the Hippocratic oath, for one thing. It is absurd on its face, and a potential great danger to the patient.

And, you know what? If there is no hospital on AF-1--or even if there is, since such a hospital could not be fully equipped, and since flight is stressful--and Obama had a similar medical condition on a visit to Canada, I would consider treason as a charge against his staff if they made a POLITICAL decision to fly him to the U.S. that in any way endangered his life. Imagine endangering the president's life because the insurance and pharmaceutical corporations would be made unhappy if Canada's socialized medical system got a kudo!

But I also understand that this is typical of RW thinking--that life is less important than profit, and that any opportunity must be taken to slam free medical care for the poor.

[Judi Lynn]

13. Here's info. which was published before he had to go to the hospital:

Cuban President Raul Castro Welcomes Venezuela's Hugo Chavez to Havana
Wednesday, 08 June 2011 00:00 By Alex Silva

Havana.- Cuban President Raul Castro received his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez at Havana's Jose Marti International Airport.
According to Granma newspaper, President Chavez's visit aims at following up on the advancement of the close bilateral links between Cuba and Venezuela.

Hugo Chávez arrived in Havana from the Ecuadorean resort in Salinas, where he and Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa examined bilateral agreements related to commerce, finances, defense, security and cooperation in the field of energy.

Chávez said that relations with Ecuador serves as a guiding engine that drives South American unity, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, ALBA, and the determination of promoting peace and democracy in the Western Hemisphere. (ACN/RHC)

http://www.periodico26.cu/english/index.php/cuba-news/1623-cuban-president-raul-castro-welcomes-venezuelas-hugo-chavez-to-havana.html

I saw these things earlier, myself, didn't think about it, believing it was just a routine trip to discuss bidness.

~ ~ ~
Raul Castro Welcomed Venezuelan President
by Escambray — last modified Jun 11, 2011 06:12 PM

Chavez said that his agenda includes meetings with his Cuban counterpart, Raul Castro, and with Fidel.

Cuban President, Raul Castro Ruz, welcomed early this Wednesday his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias in the Jose Marti International Airport.

Granma Daily reported that President Chavez visit is aimed at examining the bilateral bonds between Cuba and Venezuela

“We are working with Raul Castro, with Fidel, with the Cuban people”, said the Venezuelan leader when asked about his trip to Cuba, reports Venezuelan Television digital site.

Chavez last visit goes back to November 8th, 2010 when he visited the island to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Cuba-Venezuela Agreement.

The president himself had already announced that his tour would end in Havana, after visiting Brazil and Ecuador.
http://www.escambray.cu/Eng/cuba/cubachavez110608840

~ ~ ~
Raul Castro Welcomes Hugo Chavez at Havana’s Intl Airport
By Redaction AHORA / [e-mail] / Wednesday, 08 June 2011 10:14

Cuban President Raul Castro Ruz, welcomed the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias, at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport on Wednesday morning.

“I am happy for being in Cuba. The island of giants, Fidel, Raul, the Cuban people,” expressed Chavez after greeting his Cuban counterpart.

Chavez' accompanying delegation is made up of Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro; Communication and Information Minister Andres Izarra; Commerce Minister, Edmee Betancourt, and other top government officials.

The main objective of Chavez' visit is to assess progress of bilateral agreements and joint projects between Cuba and Venezuela, Granma newspaper informed on Wednesday.

They are also expected to debate economic and energy related issues, such as the progress of Cienfuegos oil refinery, as well as the current international situation and its impact on Latin America.

Chavez' Cuba visit is the conclusion of a tour that previously took him to Brazil and Ecuador, where he - along with his Latin American counterparts - signed several cooperation accords and discussed key regional issues.

http://www.ahora.cu/english/sections/national/4404-raul-castro-welcomes-hugo-chavez-at-havanas-intl-airport.html

ETC.

~ ~ ~
There were other articles published last week through other sources, but these were the ones which popped up first in my search.

[Bacchus39]

14. he's had medical issues for weeks now, supposedly it was a knee

Cuba is less than a one hour's flight to Caracas. yet, he chooses to have it done in Cuba and remain in Cuba to convalesce.

he has Cuban medics taking care of him, and Cuban security protecting him, he doesn't have faith in his own people.

[Judi Lynn]

15. Yeah, well, his plans for the trip had been in place longer than that.

You're not going to convince anyone other than a stray winger or two, and even they aren't that stupid, actually.

[rabs]

17. Judi answers your query in post #13

Can I ask: Where did you get the info that Chavez was traveling in Cuba when his emergency medical situation arose?

-----------------------

Hugo was in Brazil earlier this week to meet with Dilma, then in Ecuador with Correa. I understand he arrived in Cuba on Wednesday night, than apparently on Thursday his problem was diagnosed, so he underwent emergency surgery on Friday.

Yes, he could have flown back to Caracas. But world-class medical care was available immediately there in Havana, without the risk of further aggravating the problem.

I saw the video of Foreign Minister Maduro reading the communique in Havana yesterday. His demeanor as he read it was somber.

I have not seen any further updates apart from the ones yesterday (Friday) that he was recuperating and will return to Caracas in a few days.

[Judi Lynn]

16. Isn't that bizarre, Reuters and others dragging out words like "pus?"

That's about as childish, dirty, and substandard as "journalists" are likely to get, isn't it?

[rabs]

18. It is an unpleasant word

but reuters, AP and other corpo-media neglect to mention the "pus" that oozes out whenever an investigation is opened into uribismo ugliness in neighboring Colombia.

[flamingdem]

19. I heard his plastic surgery left him looking just like Fidel! nt

[Billy Burnett]

23. Radio Mambi said Hugito is dead. But there are rumors of sightings ...

.. at a rock club in Miami last night.

[rabs]

24. Just did a check for updates

And found nothing in the Ven. media and the Cuban media.

That is probably what is driving Ninoska and Perez Roura bonkers over at Radio Mambi.

-------------------------

(Edit to add Sunday update blurb from frenchie news agency published in Manila)

Chavez recovers after Cuba surgery World MonitorJune 12, 2011, 5:02pm

CARACAS (AFP) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was recovering satisfactorily Sunday after undergoing surgery in Cuba and was expected to return home ''in the coming days,'' officials from the presidential entourage said.

But Information Minister Andres Izarra, who made the announcement Saturday, did not specify how many days the president would remain at a Cuban hospital where an operation to remove an abscess in his pelvic area was performed early Friday.

Izarra, who said he wanted to ''reassure the Venezuelan people,'' noted that was Chavez was doing well and that the country's citizens would continue receiving updates about his health.