Economy
Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez said Tuesday that some of the problems affecting sophisticated medical equipments of the country's health network are due to the Dutch company Philips. The Venezuelan leader said that the government reserves the right to take legal action.

Chávez statements echoed those by Cuba former president, Fidel Castro, who last month accused Philips of "capitulation" and "betraying" Cuba and Venezuela by cutting off supplies of medical equipment due to pressure from the United States, related to the use of equipment and patents.

"These high technology centers (...) have problems with their equipment due to the pressure the United State government is exercising on the Dutch firm, which has not enforced (the contract) and it is affecting us," Chávez said during a cabinet meeting broadcast on the state run TV network Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).

"Of course, we reserve the right to take the corresponding legal actions," Chávez added, without giving details, Reuters reported.

In an editorial written by Fidel Castro in September, the Cuban leader said the Caribbean island purchased medical equipment from Philips and German company Siemens to cover the needs of Cuba and Cuban doctors who work in Venezuela in the Barrio Adentro social welfare program, including CT scanners, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and urological imaging tables.

The Dutch manufacturer of consumer and professional electronics products rejected the accusations and said that they were due to lack of information from Cuba. It also said that the company would resume shortly the supply of medical equipments.

Castro said in the editorial that Philips provided parts until the end of 2006 and that it halted the supply of equipments in 2007. He added that Cuba and Venezuela had purchased 3,553 medical equipments manufactured by Philips and Siemens for more than USD 72 million.

He also said that the Dutch company did not provide the equipments in 2008 and in 2009, although it had promised to comply with the supply of products.

"In June 2009, after paying a fine of 100,000 Euros to the Barack Obama government, not so distant from the practices of his illustrious predecessor, Philips deigned to say that it was about to provide equipment for Cuba," Castro concluded.

Translated by Gerardo Cárdenas