on Channel 4: Venezuela's hospitals on life support

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betty laura zapata

Jul 29, 2015

Location: Venezuela

Last year I returned to my native Venezuela to document life and death in the country’s public hospitals, writes Betty Zapata.

Venezuela’s public healthcare is in disarray. Long term underinvestment and neglect has meant that doctors are warning of a serious crisis in its public hospitals. I wanted to try to photograph the reality of what was happening from the inside.

It’s not a story the government in Venezuela wants told.

There is almost no official information available about waiting lists, operating times, or treatment. The government argues that its critics simply distort any figures they release to make them look bad. Opposition politicians say this lack of information means they are hiding the truth.

Like everything else in Venezuela, even healthcare has become polarised.

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Venezuela’s hospitals on life support
Venezuela's hospitals are in disarray. Betty Zapata reports on a country where inflation is forcing doctors' salaries below $10 a month and patients are forced to buy life-saving drugs on the street

Betty Laura Zapata Photographer

Betty Laura Zapata is a Venezuelan documentary photographer based in London. She focuses on long-term projects that document Latin American social issues, political conflicts, health, immigration and gender violence.