MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Revelations on Chavez health condition were done ‘on request from the family’

Chavez called him a ‘con man’, but Navarrete is known to the president’s family

Salvador Navarrete the doctor who had to abandon Venezuela after revealing that President Hugo Chavez life expectancy is two years, because of a pelvic cancer, said he proceeded on request from members of the president’s family.

“Whom requested Dr Navarrete to make the announcement on Chavez health was the presidential family, his daughters and his mother; they want Hugo Chavez to give up the presidency so he can rest and spend time with his family”, said a document released by fellow doctors and oncologists of the specialist.

Chavez insists he has “defeated cancer” and is recovering from the disease diagnosed last June in Cuba following the extirpation of a cancerous tumour following an emergency operation of a pelvic abscess.

“The presidential family is concerned because his kidneys are not working; he is being submitted to dialysis almost daily, he is being bombarded with steroids and they know he can’t hold much longer with the Cuban treatment, and this with the only purpose of staying in office, and because he’s terrified of death”, said the report that was released in Venezuelan media.

Chavez said he did not know who Navarrete was, and described him as a ‘great con man’ and ironically said “it would be nice to know how much he was paid to say that”.

According to the text from fellow doctors Navarrete “is and has been the presidential family doctor and did surgery on Elena de Chavez (the president’s mother) on a prolapsus”.

However the statements from Navarrete were refuted by the team of Chavez doctors stating that “he never was a member of the team that currently looks after the president”.