PAHO Venezuela worries about cancer medicine shortage

Reports of shortages of cancer medicines in Venezuela are worrisome, a doctor representing the World Health Organization's Americas arm in the scarcity-hit country said in a rare interview this week. Currency controls that crimp imports and a decline in local production have led to shortages of contraceptives, surgical equipment and medicine in the oil-producing country. On Monday, a small group of children suffering from cancer protested with their relatives in front of the Children's Hospital J.M. de los Rios in Caracas over delays or intermittent supply of their chemotherapy. "We're worried (over reports) that these medicines are missing," Dr. Celia Riera, a Cuban who represents the Pan American Health Organization in Venezuela, said in an interview. More…