In January, the renowned Venezuelan professor Pedro Salinas was found on his living-room floor, in a state of severe malnutrition, next to the corpse of his wife. In the eyes of many university retirees, his case reflected their own suffering.
On January 23rd, Venezuelan firefighters broke into the home of Pedro Salinas, a renowned engineering professor in the northwestern city of Mérida. Emaciated and dishevelled, the eighty-three-year-old retiree was found lying on his living-room floor, in a state of severe malnutrition. The corpse of his wife, Isbelia Hernández, who died of a heart attack, lay beside him. For weeks, neighbors had noticed that Hernández, the younger of the two, seemed besieged with worry.
Salinas’s family denied the news reports. His granddaughter Delia posted a video in which she claimed that her grandfather was not abandoned. The diagnosis from Salinas’s doctors, however, was unequivocal. The professor, they said, was malnourished, depressed, and dehydrated. In the eyes of many university retirees, the case of Salinas reflected their own suffering.
Members of all classes have fled the country since former President Hugo Chávez and his successor, Nicolás Maduro, gained power and the. Venezuelans who are wealthy, or have relatives in Latin America, the U.S., or Spain, have fled in large numbers. Poorer Venezuelans have left the country on foot, crossing the border to Colombia, Brazil, or Peru. The regime’s policies have prompted Venezuela to go from South America’sto one of its poorest.
“We are a product of democracy,” Mery López, the university’s dean of humanities, who graduated from law school in the nineties, said in a telephone interview. Earning a higher-education degree was no longer reserved for the ruling classes. Across the country, the number of schools and universities ballooned.
Two years ago, López, the university’s dean of humanities, saw a viral post on social media by a retired professor in her department, who said he had not eaten in two full days. The man, Stalin Gamarra, was a beloved literature professor in his seventies and one of Mérida’s most prominent intellectuals. Since retiring, he had written a dozen poetry books, but because there was a shortage of ink and paper in Venezuela, none of them could be printed for publication.
Younger faculty members have found ways to get by. Many teach remotely in other countries. Others have taken one or two more jobs in Mérida. Juan Carlos Rivero, an agricultural engineer, recently started his own vegetable patch. “That allowed me and my wife to no longer buy food,” he said. Together, they also produce salsas and yogurts at home, which they sell to other professors. “The money that we make from those sales far exceeds our university salaries.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Opinion: Should the United States just abandon use of the lowly penny?Opinion: Should the United States just abandon use of the lowly penny? [Opinion]
Read more »
EPA's Truck Rule Misses The Mark — But There's Still Time To Fix ItEPA’s Truck Rule proposal is weaker than existing state action and fails to advance the deployment of zero-emission trucks at the pace needed
Read more »
NYers buy Medicaid for illegal migrants in Gov. Hochul, Dems’ $220B budgetIllegal immigrants aged 65 and over in New York will be able to obtain taxpayer-financed health care in the state budget signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and passed by the legislature.
Read more »
Opinion | Trans kids had an ally in the NBA. Now they don't.With the attacks against trans children more fierce than ever, the NBA has decided that standing for trans children is not the fight it wants, EdgeofSports writes.
Read more »
How to Feel Your Best at Any Age With Genius Skincare, Haircare, and Health TipsOur celebratory guide will help you feel your best at any age.
Read more »