By Benedict Mander in Caracas Financial Times UKPublished: October 16 2009 03:00 | Last updated: October 16 2009 03:00Hugo Chávez looked puzzled when, on one of his recent Sunday television shows, he listened to a guest's account of her sister's nightmarish experience trying to find somewhere to give birth in Caracas.While in labour, she was bandied about from hospital to hospital, repeatedly rejected because of a lack of beds and doctors. Incredulous, the Venezuelan president asked: "Who is responsible for this?"Many Venezuelans place the blame squarely on Mr Chávez's shoulders. They see this increasingly common phenomenon - known as "the runaround" - as symptomatic of the crumbling decay of the oil-rich country's public hospitals after years of neglect...
more »