WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th April, 2019) Generators to provide power for pediatric and maternity wards at major hospitals in Venezuela have been provided to help cope with recurring power failures, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced in a press release on Friday.
"The generators were distributed in coordination with the Ministry of Popular Power for Health and Corposalud Tachira and will benefit more than 24,000 children," the release stated.
In addition UNICEF has partnered with other relief groups, including the Red Cross, Caritas, Miranda Civil Protection and Tachira Civil Protection, to distribute water purification tablets to more than 12,000 families and oral rehydration salts to 4,200 families, the release said.
Aid agencies have also installed water tanks to ensure a safe supply of water for pediatric and maternal services at a number of hospitals, the release added. Weeks of blackouts affecting much of Venezuela have further crippled the nation's fragile infrastructure.
The United States has exacerbated Venezuela's economic crisis by imposing crippling financial sanctions and taking over billions of Dollars' worth of oil assets ever since US-backed opposition figure Juan Guaido illegally proclaimed himself the country's interim president in January.
Maduro has accused the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup in order to install Guaido as a US puppet. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Turkey and a number of other countries have voiced their support for Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.
